Finding Your Way Home
by obsidians
Summary: When Mousse finds a familiar girl in an alleyway he feels honour bound to look after her. Warning this story portrays Ranma as being a drug addict and former prostitute. If you don't like this sort of story, please don't read for your own sake :
1. Chapter 1

Hi got severe writers block to the point I couldn't even be bothered anymore and pretty much gave up writing. However Daisuki fox was like a birdie whispering (demanding) in my ear and he inspired me to write this tale that has been rattling around my head for months. Warning, it's pretty out there if you know what I mean.

Think hugs not flames :)

Sid

Mousse didn't often buy pre-packaged meals; he normally made his own and maintained a very healthy diet of organic fruits, meats and vegetables. He never ate red meat. But his day had been long and he found himself not wanting to have to cook for himself when he got home. So he stopped into a grocery store and bought the healthiest meal he could find and now was walking home, he shouldn't have been there at that time. By now he was normally at home watching the news and having his nightly herbal tea. But fate decided to step in and change his life irrevocably that night.

He had had the parents hosting a child's birthday party call him frantically at the last minute when they needed to change their venue as their first choice had been accidently double booked. Mousse hadn't hosted one at his restaurant before but had a soft spot for children and had agreed. He'd decorated the place, arranged silly games to entertain them and had designed a special menu for the party. He'd personally packed complimentary favour bags and had utilized his martial arts to put on a magic show. The evening had been a success and many of the other parents had taken his card in consideration of them having their tot's birthday parties there in the future. He smiled how Ranma had liken his martial arts style to palour tricks and ironically, here he was treating it as a means to amuse youngsters. Ranma, whatever happened to him Mousse wondered? Even now four years later when he no longer lived in Nerima and was an adult.

Ranma disappearing had changed Mousse's life forever, he'd won some money and suddenly girls wanted to date him. He'd gone on a few platonic dates to see if this would make Shampoo jealous, but she'd seemed too upset about Ranma to notice. He'd tried to be there for her in her grief but she just pushed him away and remained indifferent to his attentions, even when he only offered comfort.

One day he'd woken up to find her gone and realized that she and Cologne had drugged him and stole off into the night, leaving him with just a note. She simply told him that she had given her heart to another and would never love Mousse as he needed to be. She urged him not to try and find her as she was searching all of Japan for her love. She went on to tell him he needed to find a life for himself.

After that he'd moved to a small room in a hotel as he couldn't bear the silence of the apartment on his own and had taken to wandering around the street of Nerima like a ghost searching for Shampoo in a near catatonic state. That is the state that Kasumi had found him in while she was walking to the market. He'd barely eaten and slept, so he was gaunt and had dark circles under his eyes and his luxurious hair fell in greasy strands down his filthy while robe. She'd taken pity on the distraught boy and took him back home to stay with her family. Nabiki had arranged a rate for room and board, which he paid without quibble. For days he lay in the room that they'd appointed him, eating only when someone insisted he do. It was the grieving Akane whose soft heart urged her to share her pain with him and he had responded with his own. Slowly he came out of his shell of depression and took interest in those around him. Realizing what a jerk he'd been, he started helping Kasumi around the house and taking on many of her chores. Her father noticed Mousse's apparent interest in his eldest and a plan was called into play. The newly wealthy Chinese martial artist being married to one of his daughters meant that he would never have to work. He could retire and leave the running of the dojo to Mousse, who was a powerful martial artist and a master of his own style, albeit it was an unusual form, but under Master Happosai's tutelage he could easily learn their school and with his wealth he could rebuild the dojo. Mousse, as Kasumi's husband, would be honour bound to support her household and once Ranma came back to marry Akane, Mousse would be the money man and Ranma the main heir.

This was suggested to both of them and then Mousse understood how come Akane and Ranma had protested their engagement so vehemently; it had been forced on them. The engagements that went on in the Tendo household never took into account the intended spouses feelings or the compatibility of the couple. Mousse wasn't ready to give up on his dreams of finding and marrying Shampoo and Kasumi not only didn't care for younger guys, but harboured no romantic feelings towards Mousse. Mousse watched her protest as her father insisted and in the end knew that she would do as he commanded, despite her own feelings. He had come to know Kasumi and had noticed that despite her matronly clothes, she was an attractive woman who had a kind heart and sweet disposition. She would make a wonderful wife to any man. She had a maternal streak a mile wide and could probably soothe away the pain within his trouble heart and inspire tender feelings in him. Yes he was taller than her, but that didn't change the three year difference that troubled her the most. She seemed like the sort of young women who would prefer and older, settled man and Mousse wasn't that. Yes he wanted love and acceptance, but not at the expense of someone else's heart being trapped in a marriage of convenience.

So he made a decision. He bought a map of Japan and threw a dart randomly at it; it landed on Kakunodate and there he went. He'd stolen off into the night, as Shampoo had done to him, leaving behind a note saying that he didn't want their missing heir's life, but one of his own. He'd been in Kakunodate ever since with its beautiful historic homes and lovely cherry blossoms. Here he'd found a life and love, until it was taken away from him...

Ranma hands shook at she cooked the heroin in the spoon until it liquefied, with a trembling hand, she sucked it into the needle. Her last john had paid her just enough for a single hit and she had bought it from her usual guy. He'd often hinted that he would give it to her for free once in a while if she bestowed on him her sexual favours, but she wasn't going to do that ever again. She looked longingly at the veins in her arms which were still virgin and with a sigh injected it into her groin so that she would keep her merchandize pretty as she had been taught to do. She groaned with ecstasy as the first wave hit her, drowning out the despair her life had become and the goose flesh that decorated the skin of her inadequately covered body. She laughed at how she used to think she was so special, the heir to a martial arts style with four beautiful fiancées. Yet she hadn't been happy and had run away, to this...She leaned against the wall enjoying her high and frowned momentarily that she had had to negotiate money with her last john as he didn't like fat girls. But she wasn't fat, she was...she gasped as waves of pain washing over her and liquid seeped down her legs. Hiking up her too short skirt she touched it and gasped at how her hands came away covered with blood. She stared at it with disbelief, not sure how she felt. Surprise galvanized her forward and she stumbled into the street and clutched onto a pedestrian innocently walking by. "Help me please" she begged him, her eyes were wild and appearance unkempt.

Mousse dropped his bag in surprise and regarded the young woman before him; she had a too thin face that still held traces of former beauty and her greasy hair was done in a sloppy pigtail that probably hadn't seen the benefit of shampoo or a brush in weeks. She wore a grubby black denim skirt that had been cut off right below her pubic region, an equally stained red cut off tank top and apparently no bra. But it was the blood slowly running down her thighs and coating her hands that bothered him, he quickly deduced that she must have been raped. He thought that she looked familiar, when her features clicked into place. "Ranma" he said in surprise.

"Please help me" she cried again, not recognizing her former enemy. Mousse sprung into action. Questions were for later, she needed help. He quickly wrenched off his jacket and wrapped it around the tiny shivering woman and picked her up. "It's okay, there's a hospital close by and I have a friend who works there. Just hang on, you're safe" he whispered to her. She just snuggled close to her saviour, not used to people being kind to her anymore.

Mousse sat in the hospital waiting room trying to fill out the paperwork for her admittance and realized how little he actually knew about Ranma, when his friend Dr. Cho joined him. "How is she?" he asked him.

"She's going to be fine; she's been living rough and is malnourished and dehydrated. She needs proper food, rest and fluids. Mousse how well do you know this woman?" he asked him cautiously.

"I met her in Nerima before I moved here and haven't seen her since. Was she raped?" he asked, feeling badly for Ranma.

"No, she's lucky that I had a gynecologist on staff to perform an emergency D&C to get rid of the blood clots; she miscarried" he explained. Mousse sat down heavily, Ranma pregnant, was that even possible? "There's more, I'd say based on her appearance and that she recently had intercourse that there's a possibility that she's a prostitute. Also due to the track marks around her groin and in her navel, possibly a heroin addict as well. There are agencies to help such women. I can put you in contact with one of them and get her into a methadone treatment program. So she would get the help she needs and you wouldn't have to be involved. It's a long hard journey that she's facing and I'm not sure that you wish to go to hell and back with her because of a simple teenaged friendship or crush. Drug addicts can break your heart and rarely ever remain clean, it's not too late to walk away" he said.

Mousse thought about it, no matter what their relationship may have been, Ranma had always had Mousse's back when he needed help. "No she would never abandon me and I certainly won't her" he said firmly. "Can I see her?" he asked.

"The nurse is just sponge bathing her; you can see her in a few minutes" he said.

"I guess she was shocked when she changed into a guy" Mousse said, faintly amused by this idea despite the circumstances.

"Changed into a guy? I don't see what you mean" he said.

"She's Jusenkyo just like me, but her natural form is that of a male" Mousse explained.

"It must not be working because she's definitely remaining a girl" his friend said cautiously.

Mousse wrenched open the door and dashed in to find the emaciated body of Ranma being washed, that she was nude didn't bother him, that she was still a woman did. "You can't come in here!" the nurse protested. Mousse shakily tested the temperature in the basin beside the bed and found it to be warm to the touch and should have been enough to change Ranma back.

"You there, get me hot water!" he demanded of her.

"Do it" Dr. Cho ordered her. Grumbling, the nurse filled a glass with hot water and then diluted it with a bit of cold. Mousse took it and dashed it over the girl; all it caused her to do was sputter and grumble as she'd been given something to help her sleep. Mousse's eyes went wide with shock at this.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, sorry about taking so long to get the next chapter out. I find that as I have no experience as a drug addict, that this story is harder to write then I thought it would be. If I had made Ranma a dominatrix lush, then I wouldn't have a single problem writing that lol.

Sid

Ranma woke up and glanced fuzzily around her. For a second she'd wondered if she had died and gone to heaven, but dismissed this notion as heaven would never look like a hospital room...and that's where she was.

She could remember little about the night before except for the blood...the baby! Her hands flew to her belly, or tried to but failed. She glanced at her wrists and saw to her horror that she was restrained...again. She started to panic until a soothing voice said "its okay, we had to put them on you because you kept on trying to rip out the IV and you needed fluids in the worst way. You put up quite a fight. You're safe now. My name is Dr. Tom Cho" a handsome Chinese man said as he carefully removed them. Ranma sagged with relief, until he frowned at the old ligature scars on her wrists, but tactfully said nothing. Even though he'd wondered he'd about them and the matching ones on her ankles.

"Where am I, how did I get here?" she asked through chapped lips.

"Your friend Mu Tzu found you and brought you here" he explained.

"Who?" she asked with a frown, the name didn't ring any bells.

"Sorry I keep on forgetting that Japanese people frequently mispronounce Chinese names. You probably knew him as Mousse" Dr. Cho explained.

"Mousse's here?" she asked in surprise.

"He's been living here for about four years. I met him at the Chinese community centre soon after he arrived. He left a few hours ago to get some clothes for you to wear home" he explained.

"I don't have a home" she said sadly.

The depressed tone in her voice caused him to soften a bit towards the young woman; he'd expected her to be a hardened street girl who would eventually take advantage of his friend's kindly nature. She seemed so young and vulnerable despite her profession and addiction. He hoped she had a fighting chance for both her and Mousse's sake. He had seen so many women like her, who he'd personally tried to help, only to have them slip back into their former 'habits.' Then they hit rock bottom and came crawling back to him with hopeful smiles and empty promises. It was enough to make anyone want leave the medical profession and become a gardener. He sat down in the chair beside her bed. "Mousse has a place in town; you'll be living with him while you do start your methadone treatments and attend addiction support meeting on an outpatient basis. We hope to wean you off the methadone completely over time. This is just a temporary measure, but it will allow you to live a normal life until you are dependence free" he explained.

"Why would Mousse do this for me? He hates me. Does he want to gloat about what I've become?" she said bitterly.

"I don't know the nature of your past relationship with him, but the Mu Tzu I know is a caring honourable man and I doubt he harbours any ill intentions toward you. I want you to see this as an opportunity for what it is; a second chance. You can beat this thing and have normal life, dependence free. You can go onto marry and have other children" he said with hope in his voice, trying to make her see beyond the dreary now.

She touched her slack belly and knew what he was trying to tell her. "So the baby is gone?" she asked. She hadn't wanted it really and had tried to ignore it for the most part and pretend it didn't exist, but part of her had dreamed about having this child.

"I'm sorry, this often happens in addiction pregnancies. It's normally too much for the developing fetus" he said kindly.

"How would it have been if it had survived?" she asked him

"It would have been a tiny drug addict; about half of the heroin babies born don't develop properly in the womb and are born with low birth weight or are born prematurely. There would have been a risk of health problems and breathing problems. There also is an increased risk of lifelong disabilities" he explained.

"Perhaps its better that it died?" she said in a dazed voice.

He said nothing, not sure what to say. "A gynecologist performed a D&C on you last night to make sure that you were safe against infection. That is she dilated your cervix and emptied your uterus by gently scraping the uterine lining. She said that there should be no scarring and you will be able to have other children when you're ready" he assured her.

"I'm a guy" she said bitterly.

"Yes Mousse explained about your water curse. I don't know why you can't change back. Perhaps it had something to do with the pregnancy hormones? I'm sorry, but I don't know of anyone I can even consult about these things" he said. "Perhaps in time you will be able to regain your true form, but until then, being a woman isn't so bad. It's obvious that you haven't been addicted for long, you're too thin but you have all your teeth and your hair isn't bad. Some women look twice their age in your situation. All you really need is a hot bath, proper food and exercise you'll be as right as rain. I'm sure that a couple of Mousse's super duper burgerinos will plump you right up" Dr. Cho said to make her feel better.

"What are those?" she asked.

"You'll find out" he replied with a grin.

"How do you know I'm better off as a girl? At least you're a guy" Ranma said bitterly.

"I'd rather be a live girl then a dead guy" Dr. Cho said bluntly. "Don't worry about what body you have for now, just focus on getting it healthy" he said. He put his hand on her shoulder "you'll be fine. I'm sorry but I have to see my other patients. I'll return when Mousse come back to release you" he assured her, leaving Ranma to wonder if perhaps she would be better off dead.

Mousse had been wandering the women's department trying to figure out what he should buy for Ranma, he'd never been good at guessing women's sizes and Ranma herself sure hadn't been in any shape to ask. 'Jeans perhaps?' he wondered as he pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and frowned at them. "Can I help you?" a sales girl asked frostily. She'd seen the young man lurking in her department and sought to drive him off, thinking he was a pervert.

"I need to buy some clothes for my...friend" Mousse said wondering why she was glaring at him. 'Ranma was a friend of his, right?' he questioned.

"What are your friend's sizes" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't know" Mousse said truthfully. "She's small but curvy" he offered helpfully.

"Perhaps she would like this? Young men often like their friends in this number" she said pulling out a red cherry print hot pink dress.

"I don't think that's her style" Mousse replied somewhat tightly.

"Perhaps we should start with lingerie?" she suggested grabbing his arm and tugging him towards that section.

Mousse blushed to be suddenly in Happosai's dream house. "I don't think she would wear any of these. I doubt she even wears a bra" he said, thinking about her preference for boxers and undershirts. She certainly hadn't been wearing on the night before.

"What is her bra size?" she demanded.

"I don't know, she kind of like this I suppose" he said and held his hands in front of his own chest to demonstrate what little he'd notice about those. He blushed when she looked at him like he was something that she's found happily munching in her vegetable patch; he hastily dropped his hands to his sides.

"What I think is that there is no girl in your life and that you're just here to ogle woman. You should leave, we don't allow perverts in our store" she demanded.

Mousse felt his temper rise and retorted "there is a woman; she's an old friend who I found living on the streets yesterday and I'm here to buy her clothes to discharge her from the hospital in. If I don't know her sizes, it's because I haven't seen her in four years."

"Wait I'm sorry, we get lots of perverts here. Heck, once a year we get this old man in purple gi stealing underwear from the change rooms. That's why I have to be careful. Let me help you" she assured him. "I would buy her a couple of track suits for comfort if she's just getting out of the hospital. Plain cotton jockey style underwear in a medium size fits most women. She'll need boots, just get American size seven as that's an average size and thick socks will fill those out if they're too big. As for a jacket..."

Mousse paid for his purchases and made sure the he stowed them in the car so that they would be warm when she put them on. He was actually happy to have found Ranma again, but wished it didn't have to be in the shape he presently found her to be in. He'd been longing to tell her that he was sorry for having been such a jerk to her...him. He now understood in his maturity, that it was Shampoo vying for Ranma and that she never cared for Mousse. He wondered what had led Ranma to her present state, but vowed that he wouldn't put pressure on her; she could tell him when she was ready.

Ranma's eye widened when Mousse walked in, he'd grown taller and his face had lean and hardened into his adult features, but except for the lack of glasses he was still the same long haired man. "Hello Ranma" he said giving her a warm smile. The years had been kind to him; in place of his white robe he wore a turquoise uniform shirt that had the name 'Fast Frankie's Diner' emblazoned on it in pink and a pair of blue jeans. She almost laughed; Mousse was now twenty years old and still working as a waiter! He looked fit and healthy, even the stupid shirt couldn't disguise his well honed body. This made Ranma a little sad as she used to have a body similar to that.

"Mousse I want to thank you for helping me last night" she said formally.

"It's no problem. I assume that Tom told you that you are coming to live with me?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess that would be acceptable" she said dismissively, at that point she didn't care what happened to her.

"I can find you somewhere else to stay if you want?" Mousse asked confused.

Ranma was just wanted to get out of there, but she heard the rather confused note in his voice "of course I would like to stay with you" she said in a gentler tone.

"Good, I brought you some clothes" he said, giving her the plastic bags that he was carrying. Somehow that he was being so thoughtful touched her; she pulled out a couple of plain coloured blue track suits along with some other items. She frowned at the panties, but knew that women didn't wear boxers. She got a lump in her throat about what else women didn't have. "Thank you" she said to the strangely kind man.

"It's okay, we'll go shopping when you're up to it and you can pick out what you like. I'll leave you alone to get dressed" he said and went outside to find his friend. Ranma could just stare after him in wonder. What had happened to the boy who swore he hated her? When had he become nice?

"She's agreeable to the idea of living with you while she gets clean. You're going to have to help her make sure that she doesn't trade one addiction for another. Such as turning to alcohol instead or even sex" his friend explained.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about the last one" Mousse said flatly.

"Well just be careful, she won't like having to follow your rules, but it's really the only way she stands a chance of getting straight. Just so know, addicts can get really sneaky, you'll have to watch her like a hawk. Are you sure I shouldn't contact a shelter to get her a bed there?" Tom offered.

"No, I said I will help her and I mean it" Mousse said firmly.

"Okay, just so you know. The methadone might make her sleepy at first and she'll need to stay off her feet for a few days as the D&C hurts for a while after it's done" he replied.

That reminded him about the baby that she lost "how many months was she gone?" Mousse asked.

"About five is my guess, it's a miracle that she hadn't miscarried yet" Tom replied. "I guess it's just as well or you would have had to look after two people"

Mousse thought about his lost love and said "I wouldn't have minded having a baby around the place" and realized that he meant it.

"I'm sorry she died so young, but what would she have thought about your bring that strange woman into her house?" Tom asked in sympathy.

Mousse smiled confidently and said "she not only would have approved of Ranma staying with us, but would have insisted. She was the kindest person I ever met"

Ranma had been surprised when Mousse's car had proved to be a nineteen fifties Cadillac that was black with red flames on it. Mousse explained that he hardly ever drove, but didn't want her to walk in the cold. She wondered how he could have afforded the insurance, let alone the car on a waiter's salary. When she saw his house she cried "how can you afford all this?" The place was on a large double lot and although the house itself was hardly a mansion, it was huge. It was western style and painted white with dark trim and roof, giving it the appearance of a cottage and the bottom half was built of stone. There were shutters over each window in place on curtains that had been dutifully opened during the day. The furniture featured comfortable overstuffed couches, highly polished pinewood tables and bookcases. The hardwood floor was highly polished and light in colour, giving the whole place a bright, airy feel that was also homey at the same time. There was a fireplace and an expensive looking entertainment unit in the living room. Mousse obviously a thing for bonsai trees as the place had tons of them. Looking out the window, Ranma could see a traditional Japanese garden...and dear gods...was that a dojo?

Mousse smiled at her reaction and said, "I won the lottery" and proceeded to explain it to her.

Flashback

Mousse was having a horrible day, it was his seventeenth birthday and no one had remembered but his mother. She had sent him more robes that she had lovingly sewed for him and a bit of money. He'd used part of the money to purchase a lottery ticket and played his usual numbers, which were of the day that he met Shampoo and of her birthday. He felt foolish spending money on something that he'd never won a dime on "might as well throw that money in the sea" he thought sourly.

He was in a bad mood and gazed at the love of his life, she'd been so depressed since Ranma had vanished and barely seemed to notice that Mousse was alive. As he passed a table, a group of girls about his age asked him to turn up the volume on the TV that was in the corner as they were about to announce the lottery numbers. He did and half heartily listened to them in passing, until it registered on his conscious what they were. Numbly he pulled out his ticket and asked one of the girls to check it against the numbers for confirmation. The girl did and then with a squeal, hugged him and cried that he had won. He had chosen not to go public and hold a giant cheque while mugging for the camera. So the money had been mailed to him by bank draft and deposited he quietly deposited it into his account.

People had found out anyway and suddenly the lonely Chinese boy had tons of girls (and guys) after him. Liking his new popularity, he went out on a few dates with some choice cuties, but none of them wanted him for himself. Finally he offered the money to Shampoo, she'd screamed at him and beat him up for implying she was a whore. Mousse begging her to believe him that wasn't his intentions in the least did nothing to sway her; that was the night before she left him for good.

End Flashback

Ranma was wary of Mousse's intentions still and wondered if she was expected to be housekeeper, until he made dinner them dinner and then helped her settle into the living room after she had a long shower and soak. They talked of things inconsequential, neither one wanting to talk about their current troubles yet. Ranma found herself relaxing in his presence, but then she was warm and toasty. Her belly was pleasantly full and she wore warm cotton pajamas and a slippers. She had a throw rug draped over her lap while she lazed in front of a roaring fire sipping a cup of hot cocoa. She sighed to be warm and comfortable again and then she frowned and asked Mousse a question that had been preying on her mind "Mousse why are you doing this for me really?"

"Because you would have done the same for me" he replied. Ranma pondered this and realized that he was right. Ranma never failed to help someone she knew if she was in a position to; that's part of the reason why she had wound up like this in the first place...

She examined Mousse in the firelight and blushed when she realized that he was kind of, well handsome in the way she used to be. Mousse yawned loudly and said, "I hope you don't mind if I crash, I was with you most of the night and am exhausted" he said.

"How do you know I won't rob you blind?" she challenged and then blushed when he turned his lasered gaze on her poignantly.

"I can see now for one" and then said "The rice cooker in the kitchen might get you a few yen along with the toaster. As for the TV, I recommend you get help moving it or you might strain yourself. I trust you not to take my stuff, they are only possessions and can be replaced if need be. I keep nothing of value in the house and everything's insured. Besides, I trust you" he finished.

"Y-you do?" she stammered.

"Yes I can trust you not to steal stuff...its girlfriends I have to worry about" he said and they shared a laugh. "Seriously, I want you to consider this to be your home until you get back on your feet. This isn't your prison and I'm not your jailer. We shall have to stay together just in case though. How do you feel about waitressing?" he asked.

"Why does everyone want me to be a waitress?" she asked with a groan.

"Consider it to be part of your therapy and a way of earning a living. Beside the uniform is hardly scandalous, one of my employee's is fourteen and yours would match her's" he explained.

Once Mousse had gone to bed Ranma went to finish her cocoa and wandered the dim hallways, checking the place out. She noticed the photos of Mousse with a woman. Ranma had nothing against plain girls, but was surprised to see that Mousse's girlfriend seemed to look kind of well...plain. Yet there was something about her smile that made her face light up, especially when she was looking at Mousse. There were pictures of them hugging, pictures of her working in the garden and various things other poses. Ranma had never seen Mousse look as happy as he did in these photos. Ranma was confused; there was no sign of a woman in his house. Mousse seemed to live there alone. If this pretty-plain girl had lived here as the photos seemed to indicate; then where was she?


	3. Chapter 3

Ranma got more comfortable with Mousse as she stayed with him. The best part was that he didn't question her about what had happened to turn her into a junkie as she wasn't ready to tell him yet. It was too embarrassing. When he'd known Ranma, he was a martial arts god engaged to four beautiful women who'd competed for his attention all the time. He was both handsome and talented...a somebody, not like now where he'd lost everything...even his manhood. Yet Mousse was there for her to take her to her counseling and methadone treatments. He did all of his own housework and asked her for nothing. Yet he still hadn't told her about what had had happened to the girl in the photos and Ranma sensed a sadness and loneliness in him.

She woke up on a bright sunny day and looked out to see that Mousse's garden was gently covered with new snow. She sighed and pulled on her robe and noticed that Mousse wearing a gi on his way to the dojo. He liked to do katas in the morning as it helped loosen him up and focus on the day ahead, he'd explained to her. On impulse she pulled on her new clothes and brewed some tea to join him.

Flashback

Ranma was nervous about shopping as she'd never technically shopped for female clothes before; she'd always worn the same ones in the past whether male or female. "I don't know about this" she said as Mousse pulled into the mall parking lot.

"There's nothing to it, most clothes are fairly unisexual. We just have to find out what you like" he soothed.

"But what if I don't like girl's clothes?" she asked him.

"Then we get you boy's clothes in smaller sizes. Just try on clothes until you find something you like" Mousse said opening her door and pulling her gently out. He laughed at the panic on her face. "Come on its just clothes, you bought them before" he pointed out.

"Not for this body" she said staring in disgust as her petit frame. It seemed like a traitor to her...and a horrible lie.

"You can't spend the rest of your life in tracksuits. You need everyday clothing you can put on and feel good in" he explained.

"I guess" she said and allowed the Chinese man to lead her. Her breath caught when he led her into a huge Chinese import store.

"This is the girl I told you about" he said to the sales girl.

"Oh wonderful, I got what you ordered" she said and went into back and returned holding a red and black outfit that matched her favourite outfit from Nerima, only it was smaller.

"Mousse?" she said in surprise.

"I thought you might be missing your old clothes, so I had some special ordered for you. The great thing about being Asian is that we are the ultimate cross dressers and both sexes tend to dress alike. I may be bad when it comes to guessing sizes, but I know Chinese clothes. Let's see what else you like"

Ranma could only smile at how thoughtful he was and they became like kids in a candy store running around trying to find clothes for Ranma until she had both a summer and winter wardrobe in the plain solid colours with pants that she preferred. She even had chosen some of the long robes like Mousse preferred to wear. "I don't know how to thank you" Ranma said gratefully, feeling like herself again in the familiar garments.

"Just wear them, that's enough for me" he said smiling at her, it was then that she noticed how attractive his long lashed green eyes were. She shivered a bit to notice beauty in another man.

End Flashback

Ranma pulled on a dark blue shirt over the tank top she had taken to wearing in place of her undershirts and tugged up a pair of black pants. The panties had taken some getting used to, but were completely comfortable now. She wondered if that had something to do with being forced to adapt to being a female. Pulling on her boots, she joined Mousse in the dojo. He looked at her, but continued to work out on a training dummy and then did some shadow sparring. Ranma noticed as she had before that Mousse was graceful and moved well, but his positioning always seemed a little off. She wondered if that was the reason why she had always been able to defeat him. She wondered if he would be offended if she pointed out his weaknesses to him and then decided against it. She owed him enough without insulting his training. She noticed that he seemed to use some of the same flashy style as Cologne and Shampoo, with a little of another sort mixed in.

"Are you here to spar with me?" Mousse asked her as he wiped the sweat from his brow and sat down beside her.

"I thought you might like some tea" she said, holding up the pot.

"I'd love some" he answered, accepting a cup. "Perhaps you would like to join me in the mornings?" he suggested. "We can train together and spar against each other"

"I-I don't know. It's been a while since I did any martial arts" she replied and bit her lip that something that used to seem like the most important thing in her life seemed so irrelevant now.

"I thought you used to live and breathe them" Mousse said.

"I kind of had to let them go. I don't see you wearing your hidden weapons robe all the time like you used to?" Ranma countered.

Mousse gazed ahead thoughtfully "It used to consume me to, and then I realized that there was no reason to challenge the world anymore after Shampoo was gone" he said, he'd explained to Ranma what had happened.

"At least you didn't quit due to an addiction problem" Ranma said bitterly.

Mousse set down his cup and realized it was time that Ranma knew the whole story of his leaving Nerima. "That almost happened to me" he said. Ranma's head swiveled in surprise to hear him admit that. In a pain filled voice he explained, "when I moved here I knew no one. I rented an apartment hotel by the week and spent most of my days and nights roaming the streets because I was lonely. One day I decided to go into a bar and ordered my first drink, I've always been tall and looked of age. I finally found what I was looking for in that dismal place; companionship. I would buy rounds of drinks and people would talk to me, their sad stories made me feel a little better about my situation and I found myself matching them drink for drink. It got to the point where I would stumble to bed drunk and stagger to the bar as soon as I woke up. I guess I found acceptance and a way to mitigate my grief over losing the only woman I thought I would ever love that way. I almost hit rock bottom when something happened to me" he said and paused.

"The girl in pictures?" Ranma prompted.

"Suzie Quan, or Suzie Q. as everyone called her. She owned the diner next door to the bar and everyday she would bring the owner his lunch. I would catch her staring at me sometimes when I noticed her at all. She was kind of plain and although I hate to admit it, I grew up surrounded by beautiful women and never really notice plain girls. But almost every day she was there and she would watch me for a few minutes and then leave. One day however she came to the bar after her diner closed and took my hand said "let's go, its time for dinner." I was so stunned by how aggressive she was being that I followed her. She sat me at her table (the one we eat off each night) and made me drink tea while she prepared dinner"

"This house was hers?" Ranma guessed.

"The house, the diner and the car, I bought them from her sister when Suzie..." Mousse said and seemed to be struggling to keep his tears in check. "I sat at her table and she served us dinner. I couldn't have been much company as I was so smashed, but I was starving after not having eaten a decent meal in days and ate everything in sight. Then she said it was time for bed and had me sleep in the bedroom that is currently yours. When I woke up the next day, she told me it was time for work. I barely even remembered the night before and had no clue what she was talking about. When I tried to argue that I didn't even know who she was, she told me her name and made me eat breakfast and drove us to her diner in that crazy boat of a car and made me wait tables! When I protested that I was rich and didn't need to work, she told me that I had way too much time on my hands, if I could drink; I could work. So I did, I became a waiter at her diner and had no time to even duck next door for a drink. I moved in with her soon after and started to notice how kind she was to everyone, how she really cared about the homeless and how she would feed them. That she would never back down from a cause if she felt it was good. I started to see how beautiful her soul was and finally how her smile made her whole face light up. Well, I started to see that smile more and more and then I realized that I was in love. I took her to bed with me that night, I was a first time for both of us, but it was wonderful. We had two years together and then she-she..." Mousse had to stop for a hitching sob.

"What happened?" Ranma asked softly, moving so that she could rest her hands on his trembling shoulders.

He looked up, surprised that she touched him as she didn't seem to like to have people touching her. He drew in a shaky breath, "it was new years eve. The diner's a popular place for people to go, who either don't like drunken crowds or aren't old enough to drink. Suzie would make a buffet and mocktails for regulars, it was a fun night and the dance floor was always crowded all night. When we closed shop it was very late and all we wanted to do was go home. I'd stopped drinking by then and she simply had never enjoyed the taste of alcohol, so neither one of us wanted to go out. We were just crossing the street to the Caddy when a car came out of nowhere; the driver was drunk. You'd think with my years of martial arts training that I would have reacted fast enough to push her out the way, but it was her who did that to me. He struck her; she died almost instantly" Mousse sobbed.

"Mousse I'm so sorry you lost your girlfriend" Ranma said gently and eased her arms around him and held him tight.

Mousse accepted her comfort and then said "she was my fiancée, we were going to be married" he finished in a voice so low that Ranma had to strain to hear him. "She had even bought her wedding kimono; I found it months later when her sister insisted that we pack up her things for charity. It would have looked so beautiful on her" he said in a dreamy voice. Ranma only tightened her arms around him and felt bad for him that he had lost his love and bad for herself who had never had love to begin with.

Presenting Fast Frankie's Diner

Once Mousse had opened up to Ranma, she felt that it was time to tell her about her own...situation, but wasn't quite ready to. A couple of days later Mousse said it was time for her to start waitressing.

"I know that Suzie thought it did wonders for you, but can't I just be a fry cook?" she asked with a groan.

"Idle hands almost turned me into an alcoholic, its good therapy" he said giving her a friendly smile that caused her to blush when she found herself admiring his good looks. 'I'm losing it' she chided herself.

"Here we are" he said pulling up in front of the diner. Ranma's jaw dropped to view a real 1950's diner. The chrome and glass building was shaped like a boxcar and it read, in red neon letters "Fast Frankie's Diner" with a strip of pink neon and a strip of turquoise encircling the outside of the roof.

"Wow this is it?" Ranma said awestruck.

Mousse chuckled and opened up the door "that was my reaction too the first time I saw it" he said, opening the door and holding it for her. There were black and white tiles on the floor with room for an actual dance floor in front of an authentic Wurlitzer jukebox. It was beautiful with its chrome, glitter and rotating columns that magically changed colours. The counter top was turquoise and waved with pink chrome light on it. On the walls was more turquoise with pink chrome lights and the booths had the same theme. Ranma was surprised when she saw that even the appliances seemed to match the 1950's theme.

"What is all this?" she asked.

"Suzie's grandfather spent about ten years in America and feel in love with it; well with how it was back at the time he was there. When he came back, he tried to bring America with him and opened this diner. It was a hit back then and still remains so today.

"So all of this is authentic?" she inquired.

"I've had to update things according to health codes and efficiency, but for the most part, yes" he said appreciating her interest.

Ranma turned when the juke box started playing and watched in surprise when a young waitress pulled a young man dressed like a greaser onto the dance floor. They were surprisingly good as they swing danced to "Chantilly Lace" by The Big Bopper. Ranma noticed that everyone in the bar was watching it like it was nightly entertainment and applauded them off the floor.

"Peggy Sue, I have someone for you to meet" Mousse called to the young women.

The girl up close looked to be younger then Ranma supposed, she wore a curly blond wig with black cat eye frame glasses. She wore a turquoise uniform with a pink handkerchief point apron, a matching hat, collar and cuffs. She had a sheer scarf tied jauntily around her neck and rhinestone broaches adorned the top of her uniform. In dress and demeanor she seemed older then her years, but her school girl face made Ranma feel...queasy. She had a face that could only be described as cute with her girlishly round features and wide brown eyes.

"Mousse how many times do I have to tell you that when I'm a blonde I'm Lindy Hop?" she protested and smiled encouragingly at Ranma.

"Sorry I can never keep all of your identities straight, Ranma this is Reiko. She's my part-time waitress. Her boyfriend, Nabu runs the grill part time was well" Mousse explained.

"I'm also the full time dresser for the other waitresses" she protested.

"That's true, she's the resident drama queen" Mousse said fondly.

"He means to say that I keep it real around here. Nice to meet you Ranma. My gods is your hair colour the real thing? I love it!" she enthused; she wondered why the older girl suddenly looked sad.

"Yes being a natural redhead's wonderful" she said in a strange voice.

"Hey we can dye it or I have tons of wigs if you don't like it. But we need a name, wait I got it. You're Mary Lou!" Reiko cried.

"Mary Lou?" Ranma said.

"She likes to use old song names for her characters" Mousse explained.

"B-but, but" Ranma said as the younger girl pulled her away. "Mousse take over, I've got some creating to do" Reiko called over her shoulder.

Ranma was overwhelmed when she was dragged into a very plausible dressing room and she was soon wearing one of the uniforms. All she could do was stare at herself in disbelief. "You have a decent figure, but should gain some weight. Girls were more rounded in the 1950's. I must say that you're brave not to wear a bra" Reiko commented as she carefully made Ranma up (Ranma had been too intimidated by the pint sized fireball to protest). "There" she said spinning the bewildered girl around. Ranma's eyes widened to see herself in make up. It was subtle, but there, her lips were now a fetching crimson colour, a faint amount of rouge painted her cheeks and her eyes now sparkled with subtle light purple eye shadow applied to her eyelids and smoky grey eyeliner, drawing attention to her vivid blue eyes. "I don't know about this" she said nervously.

"You look beautiful, anyone can see that. Now for hair, are you sure about this pigtail? That's so middle school" she said touching it with a frown.

"What would you suggest?" Ranma asked her as gentle fingers ran through her hair.

"I thought you would never ask" Reiko enthused as she plugging in her curling iron.

Mousse was helping his other waitresses serve when a new girl he'd never met stepped out. She was lovely with her red hair styled into soft ringlets. He frowned and wondered if Reiko had been hiring people around his back again. "Excuse me Miss, when did you start working here?" he asked.

"Mousse, it's me" Ranma said in amusement.

"Ranma?" he said in shock and blushed when he remembered his attraction to her.

"Uh uh boss, she's Mary Lou like the song" Reiko said.

"Whoops gotta get back to work" Reiko said, dashing to seat one of her best customers (and highest tippers).

"She's a regular pistol" Mousse said, drawing attention to Reiko to hide his own embarrassment. .

"She's something alright" Ranma said, troubled by her age. "Why did you hire such a young girl?" she demanded.

Mousse looked somewhat startled at the accusatory note in her voice "I didn't, she came with the place. She's been a fixture in here for years. Apparently she hung out so often that Suzie had to give her a job when she legally could" Mousse explained.

Ranma narrowed her gaze at him "so you didn't hire her because she was young and sexy?" she asked him.

"No she's like a little sister to me. I allow her to decorate her uniform however she wants as long as she doesn't alter it. She does the swing dancing only because she wants to and she and Nabu have been dating since she was twelve. I would never put a female in a position that is uncomfortable for her. Reiko's a natural actress and I like to encourage that in her. She's had a hard life" Mousse explained.

Ranma felt a sense of relief "good, I was just wondering" she said. "I best get back to work, I guess I'm taking section 4 according to Reiko" she said in a falsely bright, happy tone and left.

The day went by in a blur of happy customers; Ranma would pause only to watch Mousse dancing with one of the other waitresses when the juke box kicked on by itself. She was surprised how well he moved and spun his partners about to the jitterbug, the madison, the lindy hop and many other dances that Ranma had no idea what they were. She was especially relieved to see that Mousse did indeed treat Reiko like a little sister. Not that she really thought the worst of the situation, but you never can tell what goes on behind closed doors...Ranma had found that out the hard way.

The withdrawal symptoms came on Ranma towards the end of her shift as they some times did, seeing how new she was to methadone. She immediately retreated to the dressing room as she didn't want to worry Mousse. The doctors had prescribed her supplementary medication for when this happened. She took it out and her shaking hand caused her to drop the bottle. Sweating and shaking, she groped the floor for it when Reiko walked into. "Ranma are you okay?" she asked her in concern.

Ranma looked at her then suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. As if reading her mind, Reiko ripped the flowers out of a large vase and massaged Ranma's back while she heaved into it. Placing it on the ground, she crawled to retrieve Ranma's pills and gave her the correct dosage with some water.

"Thank you Reiko, I have a condition" Ranma said.

"You're a junkie who's trying to quit" she stated.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"My older brother was one too; my mother and I nursed him through his withdrawal symptoms when he quit cold turkey. He's been clean for two years now and is going to university. He went through a bad patch when he was younger; he used to run with gangs and got into drugs. That's all behind him now" she explained, her face was suddenly older and tougher.

"How did he manage to quit?" Ranma asked.

"My mother bribed a morgue attendant to let her take her son in there. She pulled out an empty drawer and said that's where she'd been visiting him next if he didn't get straight. It must have made an impact, because he quit the next day. Cold turkey feels like death, but you get reborn at the end of it apparently. Let's face it; methadone only switches you from one addiction to the other. If you are completely sober, you can take the cravings one day at a time" she replied.

Ranma had had the same suspicion about methadone and this girl had just confirmed it "do you think I might be able to speak to your brother?" she asked.

"Sure, he's always willing to speak about his experiences to others in the same boat. I'll call him" she said and slid out her cell to dial home. After a few minutes of conversation she returned, "he said he could see you tomorrow" she confirmed.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning this chapter isn't for the faint of heart. I didn't go graphic but its pretty suggestive.

Sid

Mousse drove Ranma to Reiko's apartment in silence, sensing that she was nervous about meeting someone who had beat the same addiction as hers...and triumphed over it. He knew that she had been struggling against it, and wanted nothing more then to kick it all together. He thought about telling her that he knew she could do it because she was the strongest person he'd ever met, whether male or female, but realized that that sounded patronizing as she still hated her female form. He didn't understand that as she was oddly...compelling as a woman. He was rather ashamed that he was attracted to her. He knew that she (who really wasn't a she) only regarded him as being a friend and would be horrified to learn that he was starting to see her in a different light. So he silently drove in confusion.

Ranma's mind was racing with the possibility that this man she was going to see could be the key to her future. She appreciated the support of her counselors and that of the other patients that she'd met but found that the medical system was too quick to hand out pills and shift their charges from one addiction to another. Quitting cold turkey was something that was whispered about in fear. She wanted her life back, plain and simple, even if she could never go back to being what she had been. She wanted to wake every morning and not be shaking and sweating for something that might eventually end up killing her. She'd never approved of drugs in the past and wouldn't have ever used them if given the choice. She wanted to get back into shape; she wanted to start doing martial arts again. She wanted to take control of her own future. All her life she had been told what to do by her mother, her father and then the Tendo family. She realized now that no one had ever asked her what she wanted and now it was time for her to choose for herself where she would live, what she would do and who she would marry. She felt that each wheel turn of the huge car was bringing her closer to her destiny. Somehow she felt that meeting Reiko's brother was pivotal for her future. He would help her if no one else could. Her heart skipped a beat when Mousse announced that they'd arrived and her breath hitched.

Mousse managed to ignore the look of panic on Ranma's face that flitted across it for a second before her calm mask slipped back into place, he didn't want her to know that he had noticed it and was nervous for her. Instead he offered her his hand to help her out of the car, as it was awkward for her to get out of the huge automobile with her petit frame. She accepted his help as she knew that he would never view her as being a helpless female. She took his hand, her's was ice cold. When she got out, she appreciated that he held her hand a few seconds longer then necessary and gave it a small squeeze of encouragement; she gave him a tight smile in return.

The door was opened by the now modern day Reiko, Ranma had been surprised to find that under the vintage clothes and wigs, that Reiko's thick dark hair had been dyed a bright poppy red. She probably thought made her look older and sophisticated, but instead it made her look young and vulnerable. Reiko's taste in modern clothing was somewhat a somewhat baggy punkish style with lots of bright colours all clashing together. Ranma had asked her how she went to school with that hair; she'd shrugged and told her that she wore an ugly brown wig over it while there. "Hi Ranma, hi Mousse, please come in. Nadir is ready to see you" she said.

They were escorted through the apartment and into the second largest of the three bedrooms. A young man sat in front of his text books, Ranma could tell at half a glance that he was Reiko's brother. He had the same neat, cute features and large brown eyes, yet there was a look in them that bespoke of seeing too much for one so young. She knew that physically he was nineteen, but looked younger than his age. He wore a blue t-shirt and jeans that were both neat but unfussy, such as Mousse tended to wear at home when not working. He shut his notebook and focused those wounded eyes on them. "Hello again Mousse. You must be Ranma" he said giving her a welcoming smile and extending his hand to her. She tried not to stare at the track marks decorating his arms around his veins as she shook his hand. "Please worry about offending me by examining them, I have them on my neck and legs too" he said calmly.

"I hear you can get them removed by laser treatment or get skin creams to fade them" Ranma said, not sure how to respond to how causal he was about it.

"I know that I don't have to wear them like a brand from my misspent youth, but I choose to keep them to remind myself what can happen if I give into temptation again. I'm getting my degree in mechanical engineering. I never thought that I would even live to see twenty" he said without humour. "I hope you don't mind, but I like to tell people how I got involved in drugs before I have these talks. Is that alright with you?" he asked her.

"Go ahead" Ranma replied.

"Our family went through a bad patch after my father lost his job a few years ago. He started drinking too much and he and mom used to fight all the time about that and money; it was hard on both Reiko and I. I fell in with a bad crowd and met a girl I thought I loved. She liked to get high when she made love and kept on encouraging me to try it with her. Finally I gave in because I thought a few lines of coke couldn't hurt. However I found out that I really enjoyed it because it dulled the pain of my home life. I started spending more time at the meeting house where drugs flowed like water and my girl and I would get high all the time. It got to the point where I starting using during the day and soon snorting a little coke wasn't enough. One night someone got me to try H and I was hooked. I couldn't go for more then a few hours without injecting myself, my money ran out and I started selling as well as using. My mother could see something was wrong because I was losing weight, couldn't sleep and was tweaked out all the time. It was Reiko who figured out what was going on first and told her; Reiko who was only twelve at the time and should have been daydreaming about her first kiss rather then noticing her brother spiraling down. By that time the drug controlled me, I didn't worry about sleeping or eating, I worried about my next fix. My parents held an intervention and I laughed in their faces and told them I knew what I was doing, but I didn't. It wasn't until my mother took me to the morgue that I realized where I was heading. I took a good look at my life and realized I needed to stop. I cut ties with all of the people in the gang and with a heavy heart dropped my girlfriend because I could never quit with her always wanting to use. For three long days I locked myself in our apartment and suffered from chills, fever, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting all the other lovely withdrawal symptoms. It literally felt like I would die and I probably would have caved if I hadn't had Reiko and my parents there to encourage me. Once the three days were up, I finally felt tired and had a bath and slept for most of the next day. I still got cravings but would treat them with nothing stronger then orange juice. An excellent high because of all the sugar and healthy too" he said. "My example caused our father to get sober and Suzie got him a job as the warehouse manager in the meat packing plant that she used" he explained. "Now would you like to share your story?"

Ranma bit her lower lip and glanced at Mousse, he gave her a nod of encouragement. "I-I will but Reiko has to leave" she stammered.

"Hey I'm not a kid!" Reiko protested.

"You should go" her brother stated. "She's obviously not comfortable talking about this in front of you"

"She's my friend, I should be here for her" Reiko said stubbornly.

Ranma couldn't help but smile even under the circumstances, she'd known the girl for only a short time but felt the same. "I don't mean that I think you're a child, but I there's things in the world that you shouldn't know about yet. Please? I promise to tell you everything when you're sixteen" she almost pleaded, despite how uncertain her life was right now, Ranma felt she would know Reiko a long time.

"Was it really that bad?" Reiko asked, suddenly sounding as young as she actually was.

"It was a horrible time" Ranma concurred.

Reiko studied the broken woman in front of her and then nodded. "Okay I'll leave, I have some homework to do" she said and promptly left.

Mousse realized how personal their conversation was going to be, stood up to. "I guess I'll go help Reiko with her homework, algebra's a bit of a weak spot with her" he said tactfully.

He was surprised when Ranma reached out and took his hand and said "please stay, you've been so good to me. You have a right to know"

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"I want you here" she admitted, he sat beside her and neither brought attention to the fact that he kept holding hands with her. "I used to live in Nerima at the same time as Mousse. We weren't friends because he hated me because his girlfriend wanted to marry me...there were also three other girls who did to... and more guys who hated me. It was a bit fucked up back then between the hugs, the gropes and the challenges; I hated it, I wanted out. My father took me from my mother when I was very young, promising her to make me a men amongst men. He signed a contract with her on my behalf, for both of us that we would commit seppuku if he failed to. My mother has decided to honour that contract" she said and paused.

"Wait your mother wants you dead? That's whacked," Nadir exclaimed.

Mousse's eyes almost popped out of his head "you mean that your mother is worst then your father?" he exclaimed.

Ranma nodded and continued "My father spent the next several years training me to be the best martial artist in the world. We mainly lived in our tent as we rarely had any money. I was a cute kid and my father would use that to his advantage. He would take me into the streets to beg and cry when we were hungry and kind people would give us food. He even engaged me to two restaurateurs, (yes one was Ukyou, Mousse) for food. Sometimes he would get a job and we would rent a house and life would be easier for a while and I would go to school. But then we would always move on and I would have to leave any friends I made behind. If I complained, my father would tell me that training was more important then friendship. I never had a girlfriend. I didn't even know that I was engaged to a Tendo girl until I was literally hauled to their house. I liked living with them, but didn't want to be forced into a marriage with someone who didn't seem to like me. You see, I'd been told to do my whole life and no one ever asked me how I felt about it. It wasn't just Akane calling me a pervert for nothing or my so-called old friends showing up and one wanted to marry me and the one wanted to kill me, or you and Shampoo or even being groped by Kunos that made me want to leave. It was my whole fucked up life; it was my pimp of a father and not even being able to see my mother in case she found out about my curse. I got depressed about the whole thing and longed only to be free of everything and everyone. So I saved all the money I'd made while being forced to waitress and ran away one night. I didn't leave a note because I knew that whatever I said would be twisted anyway"

"Ranma, I'm sorry" Mousse said. He'd envied Ranma's natural leadership and popularity back in the day and hadn't realized how hard it must have been for him. Mousse challenging him for Shampoo, Ryoga and Kuno challenging him for Akane and all of them ganging up on several occasions. To be constantly hunted like an animal must have been hard on Ranma, and then there were the girls constantly competing with each other to claim him. How could Mousse have been jealous of that? He'd thought that Ranma had been making out like a bandit and had tons of friends. But had he really? Sure everyone had been in awe of him and followed him. Hadn't Mousse himself followed him blindly when Akane was in trouble? He hadn't even questioned why he did it. Now Mousse saw how blind he'd really been to another human being's misery and felt bad about it.

"You didn't know" Ranma reassured him, squeezing his hand. "After I left Nerima, I wandered around happily because I was free for the first time in my life. But soon the money started running out and no one would hire me because of my age and lack of experience; all potential employers told me to go back to school. I soon was living in a tent exclusively like I had when I was a boy. Remembering how I could use my girl form to get things I wanted from men, I started hanging around places I might meet them as a girl. It worked like a charm; they would feed me and take me on dates. This would go on until they got demanding about having sex with me, and then I would duck into the nearest washroom, splash myself with warm water and get away. This went on for a while as I moved from town to town; there's so many gullible men in the world" she said with a bitter smile. "I got better at flirting and I would get not only free meals, but presents I could sell to support myself. It was harmless fun; I made sure that no one actually got hurt. The relationships I ended by me telling them that I was saving myself for marriage, they actually seemed to like that for some reason. It almost seemed like a challenge, they would take me out for more expensive dates and lavish nice presents on me. I would accept them all and not have to do a thing. So I went out tons of dates and wouldn't offer as much as a kiss. It was going wonderfully until I went to party one night at a biker's hangout. A female friend said it was good harmless fun; I didn't know that she was being paid to recruit girls. Someone slipped something in my drink and I started to feel dizzy, I must have passed out because when I woke up, I was naked and tied to a bed and I ached...down here" she said with a blush, touching her hand lightly to her groin.

"It was your first time as a female?" Mousse asked, he felt like weeping at what she was saying.

"It was my first time ever" she answered numbly. "I was told that they had to tie me down despite the date rape drug, I still fought them. Then they all had a turn with me. I thought they would let me go, but their leader was intrigued by the idea of having a real redhead work for him as a whore. He knew for fact that I was real, as did all the other guys at the party. I refused and they kept me tied down and used me as they saw fit. I was too weak to get out of the cuffs as I was barely fed. Do you have any clue how it feels to be violated; the shame is horrible. They eventually moved me from their basement into a modified cellar to try and 'convince me' I was still naked and couldn't escape. They brought me water only when they wanted to and fed me as they saw fit. Still I refused. They didn't know that I'd made friends with a small orphan girl who they paid to clean the place, who was smuggling food in for me. She was just a sweet twelve-year-old named Su Lee, I worried about what might happen to her if they caught her, but she said not to worry. She was so brave. I thought they didn't know until one night they brought her to me naked and did to her all that I'd refused to do. They made me watch while she screamed, I never felt so helpless. Afterwards they said that they would keep her as hostage and they would do it to her again I refused. I didn't refuse anything after that, I went with the men that they told me to and would bring them the money. But I guess my grimness was bad for business because one day they injected me with heroin, it made me temporarily happy, so I didn't object when they did it again. A part of me knew it was wrong, but it made sleeping with men more tolerable, so I took it when they said. It became so that I needed it to get through the day. This went on for about a year when they started commenting that my looks were starting to go and I was bad for business. So they offered me a trade, I was to be in a lesbian movie and then they would let me go. I agreed. I never even thought about how young the other girl's body was as I sucked, licked and nibbled her as I was directed to. I had no clue who she was because she wore a leather mask the entire time. The only thing that kept me going that long year was the thought that at least Su Lee was safe. I believed that until they took her mask off and I realized that the giggling girl was Su Lee. They'd lied to me; they not only made her into a whore, but a drug addict as well. I raged at them until they calmed me down by giving me a shot of heroin. They then drove me to the bus stop and bought me a random ticket and put me on the bus; that's how I wound up here. I tried to find work again, but who would hire a drug addicted prostitute? Out of the need to feed myself and get my fixes, I turned to prostitution again. One day I woke up in a hotel room some john had booked for us and turned on the shower...and I didn't change back. I now understand that it takes three days to fertilize a woman and I'd spent most of my time as one. I wasn't using protection; I was spending most of my profits on H. When I found out I was pregnant, I had no idea what to do. So I ignored it and carried on as if nothing was wrong, until one night I knew I had to get off the streets, if only for my sake. I approached a cop and asked him where I could get help; all he did was threaten to arrest me if I didn't give him a blow job. So I gave up, I stayed where I was allowed to and took care of myself as best as I could. Until one night I started to miscarry and Mousse found me" Ranma concluded.

"Oh my gods Ranma, I wish I could have been there. If you'd only stayed in Nerima! You could have talked to me; I would have given you the money to leave" Mousse cried, he was visibly weeping while Ranma was as calm as a cucumber. She'd just told him the most horrible story he'd ever heard in his life was if she reading off stereo instructions. "I'll find your friend and get her help" he vowed. Ranma gave his hand a small squeeze and turned her head to serendipitously brush a tear away. She'd worried about Su Lee and couldn't think of a better saviour for her. Somehow she knew that Mousse would find her.

"So you never chose this life for yourself? What do you want to do?" Nadir asked her bluntly.

"I want to get clean...and then I want to teach my martial arts school. That's always been my goal" Ranma said firmly.

"I can help you de-tox if you want, but it'll feel like you're dying. If you agree to my system I won't allow you any drugs, unless your life's actually in danger" he cautioned.

"I want to do it, I don't want to be dependent on anything ever again" she said.

"It'll be hardest thing you've ever done in your life" he warned.

"You don't know what I've done. Bring it on" she snarled.

"Very well, we'll need a place you're comfortable in"

"How about our home?" she suggested.

Mousse turned to look at her questioningly, she'd never called his house home before; she normally referred to it as Mousse's place or his place. His heart fluttered a bit to hear her say that. "Yes and I'm helping her" he added.

"That'll be fine; you'll need to close the restaurant for a few day as she's going to need all the support she can get. I know that Reiko will want to help. Are you sure about this?" he asked her one final time.

Ranma looked at Mousse, his face was nothing but supportive. "You're the strongest person I know, you can beat this thing. It doesn't matter what form you wear; you're Ranma" he said.

"Yes, I am Ranma. That's what I forgot when I got lost in this female body. Please help me Nadir, I need to find myself again" she cried.

"Its going to be hard finding your way back" he said.

"It also doesn't mean that you can get your male body back" Mousse pointed out.

"So what, I'm Ranma! Ranma isn't about a body, it's about being a person and I'm RANMA!" she cried again almost joyfully. She never back down from a challenge before and never would! She turned so that she could bask in the look of admiration that Mousse gave her. Her blue eyes locked with his green and in them she found the courage she needed.


	5. Chapter 5

Ranma was in massive pain and literally felt like she was going to die on her second day of de-toxing. She'd barely slept, her bones ached, and her muscles ached...heck her whole body ached for the one thing she refused to give it; the big H that had controlled her life for over a year a year. She fought against it while her body purged itself of what little food she'd managed to consume; she slept in snatches and felt hot, feverish and depressed. She shook and sweated, wearing only Mousse's large t-shirts because any other clothes felt abrasive against her over sensitive flesh or too constricting, even her hair had been unbound as it the tight plait seemed to pull at her scalp. So panties and t-shirts it was for her, that Reiko helped her change everyday when she came after school to help. Throughout it all Mousse never left Ranma's side and this she was grateful for...at least until Reiko came by and booted him out to allow Ranma privacy. He'd become her rock that kept her being swept back into the life she needed to escape from. Mousse massaged her stiff limbs when she was sore, coaxed her to eat even when most of it came back up and sleep the little amounts that she did. Often he'd crashed beside her on the futon that he'd put in her room as she found the western style bed too constricting to sleep in. Nadir was there to, but had to come and go as he had his degree to work on, leaving the lion's share of the de-toxing to Mousse. He brought with him over-the-counter medication to help her: melatonin to help her sleep, Imodium for her stomach issues and ibuprofen for her body aches and it helped...a little. Ranma could barely stop herself weeping from the relentless pain. She felt like she was being tortured and was on fire at the same time. The only comfort she had was from the various pills and longed to throw herself into Mousse's arms and beg him to make the pain stop, but she was too proud to do this. So she suffered stoically while it seemed as if sewage seeped from every hole in her body as her system cried out for the numbing comfort of H. 'Just a little longer' she thought as she felt Mousse stroking her back while she heaved up only bile from her stomach.

Mousse was worried for Ranma, she'd seemed the same Ranma to him, whether male or female in the past and suddenly she seemed so tiny and frail. But then she'd been merely an obstacle in his way to romance and now she was a person to him. A small woman who stood only five feet tall with tiny ice cold hand and feet, even her hourglass figure had been diminished by hard life, a woman he cared about. He agonized and felt so useless with his cool cloths that he used to bath the sweat from her face and limbs and whispered words. He wished that he could take her pain away and make it his own as she shook with her tiny body too hot and her skin too pale. When she looked at him, she looked so young and defenseless; Mousse promised himself that he would take care of her as long as she would let him. He knew that he was a fool to think that Ranma would need his help for long; he knew that she would kick this and leave him...alone again. He agonized over the thought of her leaving, he'd become so used to having her around and had come to...really care about her. Besides she'd never liked him, he'd never given her any reason to. She was like a butterfly learning to fly and reinventing herself. She didn't need him and never would, this thought made him sad. He didn't know that he was the one giving her the strength to take this drastic step. On the first day when her pain had set in, he'd begged Nadir to let her do it warm turkey with medication, both he and Ranma had firmly said no and her battle aura had flared bright. Mousse came to admire her courage even more; this was probably the hardest battle she would ever fight in her life.

Reiko arrived...and promptly kicked both boys out so that she could give Ranma a bath. She ran the water pretty hot and both people held their breaths to see if she would change back, Ranma moaned in disappointment when she didn't. "It's not a bad thing being a woman" Reiko soothed, picking up the soap and rubbing it into a soft wash cloth.

"It's much better being a guy. I hate this body, it has blood flowing from it once a month, its weak, its pathetic and it can get pregnant!" she raged.

"There's female martial artist all over the world and they aren't weak or pathetic. They still get their periods and pregnancy can be prevented if you know how. If you hate this body so much, make it strong. You said you can still do your martial arts in this form right?" Reiko asked as she soaped her back. Reiko had already figured out that the smaller woman wanted affection but didn't know how to ask for it, so Reiko soaped her hard-to-reach places with gentle strokes that offered her some comfort. She'd sensed the growing attraction between Mousse and Ranma that neither seemed to be able to admit to. It had grown stronger during the de-toxing when both allowed themselves to be more affectionate to the other. Reiko smiled the first time she'd found them curled up like puppies when they napped together. Reiko had watched them and thought that they looked great together. She'd wonder if Ranma's dubious sex would allow them to get together. She knew more about sex then she would admit to them and got the impression that Ranma was in many ways sexually naïve despite her former lifestyle, that her sexuality hadn't had a chance to form yet. Her brother had given Reiko a small amount of information, knowing that his smart as a whip sister had already figured out a thumbnail sketch of Ranma's life. She was happy to see Mousse falling in love again, but was worried that Ranma's insistence that she was a guy would never allow her to accept his love.

"Yes, I can. My strength isn't the same when I'm male, but I get faster" Ranma said, interrupting Reiko's thought.

"So why not adapt your arts to suit your new body? A girl can be just as deadly as a guy when she knows what she's doing. Make this invincible. Or are you just a weak little girl?" she teased her.

"Wow you sounded like my father for a second there" Ranma replied. "I think I know what you're saying. The female martial artists I knew in Nerima were almost scary good"

"So make yourself better then them. Now who do you know who would make a good coach to help get you in shape and has an interesting martial arts form of his own you can learn things from? After all doesn't Anything Goes means you take different moves and make them your own" Reiko asked, putting the suggestion in her ear.

"Mousse" Ranma breathed, who better to train with?

On the third day the symptoms stopped and Ranma finally sagged in exhaustion. She looked at Mousse with relief in her eyes, he looked equally as exhausted but happy for her. "I'm hungry" she complained. She was surprised when she was hugged by all three people, happy at this development.

"Wait here, I brought something from the diner that I can heat up for when this happened" Mousse said hurrying away. He wiped away grateful tears as he got her feast together and thanked the gods that she'd gotten over the most difficult phase of recover. Ranma was going to be fine he was sure.

Ranma's mouth dropped open to behold the huge plate of food in front of her, her mouth watered at the smell of thick sliced pickles, onions, cheese and the various other toppings that made up the super duper burgerino with its Coney Island fries on the side. The burgerino had been invented by Suzie's grandfather and was made up of a long, thick hamburger patty on a submarine bun that was topped with avocado, sour cream, onions, pickles cheese; pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. "But Mousse you don't even like to having red meat in your kitchen!" she protested with her eyes suspiciously moist.

"I can make an exception, we need to get your weight up" he said, smiling at her and rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment for her gratitude.

Nadir looked at Mousse "I don't know about this, it might be too much food for her stomach right now..." his eyes widened in surprise to see her plate empty and her mouth covered with food stains. Reiko gaped at her; she hadn't even seen Ranma's hands move...they'd been a blur.

"I was hungry" she stated.

Mousse started laughing and mussed her hair, "that's my girl" he said, Ranma could only beam while those words echoed through her mind, they delighted her.

Nadir and Reiko excused themselves and left them alone. As Nadir drove them home, Reiko asked "is Ranma going to make it?"

"I think she will, she's a strong willed person. Mousse's in love with her" he stated.

Reiko looked at him "yes he is" she confirmed.

"How do you feel about that? I mean you've had a crush on him for a long time" he said.

She shrugged "I'm not so naïve that I think anything is ever going to come of it. He thinks about me as a little sister. Besides I have a boyfriend" she said. "I'm glad that you persuaded him to hire a private detective to find Su Lee instead of him going himself. Ranma needed him to be here"

"That's why I suggested it" he said with a shrug. "Think they'll ever get together?"

"I think they will" she said confidently, remembering how Ranma had looked at Mousse when he had called her his.

"You know, I like them both and hope you're right" Nadir said, wanting his new friend Ranma to have the love that Nadir had had to deny himself. He hadn't been oblivious to their attraction either.

Ranma had taken a bath after she'd eaten, had gotten into comfortable blue striped pajamas and had taken a melatonin to help her sleep. She got into her own bed for the first time in days and sighed at how comfortable it was. Mousse came into her room wearing his own pajamas. "I was just wondering if you need anything, I should have knocked" he said smiling sheepishly.

Ranma took a deep breath and forced out "would you stay with me a while?" she asked.

Mousse blushed, surely she didn't want sex. He quickly dismissed that idea from his mind. She just wanted someone to be there with her until she slept. She had bad dreams sometimes about her being forced by the bikers, so Mousse could see her wanting someone to keep the night terrors at bay. He sat down on the chair beside her bed, "of course I'll stay awhile" he said.

Ranma blushed and pulled back the blankets beside her "could you...lie with me?" she stammered.

Mousse blushed to; she wanted him...to be...in her bed? Then he mentally kicked himself for acting like a jumpy virgin. She'd just been through a horrible ordeal and wanted a warm body beside her to sooth her in the night. "I guess" he said slipping in beside her and turning on his side to face away from her. She turned off the lights and wondered if her face was glowing in the dark.

"Could you...hold me?" she asked hesitantly.

Mousse blushed deeper and turned to spoon her smaller body against his; he tried to tell himself that she was just another guy...with a tiny waist and cute petit figure.

Ranma tried not to sigh to be enveloped like this, she'd slept cuddled up with other guys before for warmth, but it'd never felt like this. She felt safe and cared for as his hand rested on her waist. She drifted off to sleep on a cloud of warmth and pleasant masculine odours, while Mousse stopped his erection from rising against the sweet cleft of her buttocks by envisioning old nuns, dead kittens...and Kuno in a bikini.

When they woke up hours later they both felt refreshed and highly embarrassed. "I should go for a jog" Mousse said and left. He was surprised when Ranma came down wearing a track outfit and light jacket. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I thought I would go with you. Please Mousse, I need to distract myself from the cravings and what better way to do that then getting into shape? I was thinking that you could teach me to dance also" she almost pleaded.

"I never make the waitresses at the diner dance. Suzie's grandfather taught her how to, Suzie taught me and I taught Reiko because she wanted to learn. Most of the others took lessons and just like to show off. Are you sure you're ready to start jogging?" he asked her cautiously.

"Sure Reiko even got me a sports bra" she said lifting up her shirt to show mucho cleavage crammed into a skimpy red top, causing Mousse to get a nosebleed.

"Okay, see if you can keep up with me. I do eight miles a day" he challenged.

"Child's play" Ranma said and started jogging with him. Later on Mousse returned with a winded Ranma in his arms.

"Child's play huh?" he teased.

"I hate this body" she moaned.

Weeks later it was Ranma who ran circles around him. "Come on you wimp, what are two more miles?" she cried.

"More then I'm used to doing" Mousse panted, dropping onto the floor of the dojo. He watched as Ranma dropped and started doing pushups. He admired her; with her eating regularly and exercise, she'd filled out and got back her teenaged body. The result was more tips at the diner and men watching her when they walked together, Mousse got many looks of envy to be walking with so pretty a girl. Ranma had flourished, totally gone was the pinched look of the drug addict she'd formally been. She glowed with natural beauty and good health. She still fought against the addictions, but treated it with fresh squeezed orange juice. Mousse had bought a commercial juicer and made gallons of it for her every day out of organic oranges; she had that as an addiction now. He smiled to remember her learning the various dances

Flashback

"I look like a retard" Ranma complained, coming of the dressing room in a poofy poodle skirt, a pink sweater, bobby socks and saddle shoes. Reiko had even gather her hair into a ponytail and secured with it with a pink scarf.

"If you want to learn period dances, you need to learn to how move in period clothes. "The weight of these will help you understand how to do it" Reiko said.

"You're not dressed like this" Ranma complained and actually pouted. Reiko wore purple leggings, turquoise shorts, a yellow shirt and rainbow suspenders. She's French braided her thick red hair into two plaits and had put red dice baubles at the ends.

"I know the dances. Doesn't she look cute?" she asked Mousse.

Mousse blushed a bit to find himself admiring Ranma "she looks okay" he said glancing away to disguise his interest.

"You see?" Ranma declared.

"Just try already" Reiko cried, shoving Ranma into Mousse's arms. They both blushed to her delight. Soon they were laughing at Ranma's two left feet.

"It's nice to know that there's something that Ranma the Great can't do perfectly" Mousse teased.

"Hey I too busy learning martial arts to worry about this girly stuff" she said with a laugh that was deceptively like a giggle, she felt happy for some reason to be staring into his laughing eyes...before she trod on his foot. "Sorry" she apologized.

"Why don't we work on the jumps for now? Just leap forward and extend your legs, I'll hold you up" he said.

With her crinoline flying everywhere, she executed a perfect leap. Mousse found himself marveling at her slight weight and then blushed when he felt himself responding to having an attractive young woman plastered to him. He quickly bent forward and threw her back so that she landed on her feet. He was positive she couldn't have felt anything through her layers of clothing. "I think that's enough for today" he said over his should and quickly left.

End Flashback

Ranma sat beside Mousse and looked fondly around the dojo, it was about the same size that the Tendo's had been, except it was well heated with radiant floors that kept out the cold and air conditioning for the summer. It was practically brand new as Mousse had explained that he had had it built to practice in, his martial arts style needed space; ego why it was almost the size of a commercial dojo. As if reading Ranma mind, Mouse observed "you know this would be a nice dojo to teach in if someone felt inclined to."

Ranma's heart leapt "yes, the Saotome School of Anything Goes needs little in the way of equipment. Smaller classes would be better I think" she said calmly back while her heart was racing.

"It wouldn't take much, some advertising and word of mouth will take you far. Local schools are always happy to have martial artists give demonstrations if the sensei is willing to do it for free. All you would really need is a business license, this areas zoned commercial-residential so it won't be a problem. Accounting software's pretty easy to use these days for bookkeeping" Mousse offered. "I could help you get the business license"

"You mean you would let me use your dojo?" Ranma asked in excitement.

"Why not? No one does besides myself or sometimes I let dance kids use it for practice. It's a shame that it's going to waste" Mousse said with a shrug.

"But who would want to be taught by a woman?" she asked.

"Once you get your demonstrations on the go, you'll have no trouble attracting students. Besides lots of girls want to learn martial arts to and who better then from a woman" Mousse pointed out. "Do you want it?" he asked stubbornly.

Ranma couldn't control her excitement anymore, her own dojo just like she always dreamed of! "Of course I do! I'll need a sign; I'll need a drink station for the parents who'll be waiting. The license! Oh my gods I can't wait. Thanks Mousse" she said and threw her arms around him and on impulse kissed his cheek. Mousse smiled into her flame bright hair that his suggestion made her so happy, when she leaned back her blue eyes danced with excitement. "I want you to be my first student" she said sincerely.

"Me? but I'm already the master of my arts" he protested.

"See it as being a refresher, you suck at defensive moves" Ranma said with a fond smile.

"I must be insane to try and help a Saotome" he groaned.

"You like me, I grow on everyone" she enthused.

"So does fungus" he quipped.

Ranma just stuck her tongue out at him, too happy to care.

The next few days went by in a happy blur, Mousse helped her apply for the business license and it was received under her school's name. Then she and Mousse ordered a sign and decided on the official gi that would be worn by her students.

Her head swam with details; she had it all now, a nice home and wonderful dojo. She was on her way to inspect her first batch of fliers. But that caused her to pause; surely Mousse would expect her to move out once she started earning money? The idea made her ache; she couldn't picture herself living anywhere else but with Mousse. It was like home to her, the first home that she felt comfortable in without someone bossing her around. Yes Mousse got kind of anal about his all organic, no red meat diet but he was a wonderful cook and she had to admit that she did taste the difference in taste when everything was fresh, but she would miss him...a lot.

Walking in a trance as she had, she never noticed her former drug dealer, Bobby until he was in her face. It was he who had been trying to get into her pants. "Ranma is that you?" he asked her with a leer. He'd thought she was cute as a homeless pregnant prostitute, but now in her Chinese clothes and looking so healthy, she looked positively gorgeous.

"B-bobby?" she stammered.

"Well, well you're looking good. You got a new john who's keeping you in style?" he asked. He walked around her enjoying the view; the pants were kind of baggy but failed to conceal long, slim toned legs and a firm high behind. The shirt just tight enough to show off her healthy chest and flat stomach, he could feel himself responding to her new curves. "Would you like a little something?" he purred.

"No I quit and I'm living with a friend," she said holding her head high and glaring at him.

Bobby laughed "I quit more times then I can remember, once a junkie always a junkie. I'd be a shame for us not to get reacquainted. If you like I can be your friend too, you can take care of me...and I can take care of you" he said, holding out a bag of H.

Ranma's mouth watered at even the sight of it, she could smell its earthy smell even through the baggy and sense its euphoric presence. She wanted it so badly, yet every practical reason for not wanting it floated through her brain. That it had cost her her manhood, her life, even the baby that she had come to regret on her road to recovery. She glared up at him and saw in him what she had been before Mousse came back into her life. He was asking her to be his strawberry, sell herself to him in exchange for drugs. She shook her head to clear it, "no, I'm not interested. I'm clean now" she said defiantly to him, to the drugs and to her old self.

"Come on Ranma, don't be like this. Why don't I give you a free sample and than you can decide? After all, what are friends for? You know where to find me when you want more" he said and walked away, leaving her holding the baggie. Her mind was in turmoil and she wanted it so badly. 'What should I do?' she wondered.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I didn't have time to edit this in my need to run downtown to catch the bus to take me home to see my rents. Like I do a good job self editing anyway, lol. Can you really tell the difference? If any beta readers are reading this, you want a new client?

Merry Christmas everyone, this chapter is dedicated to all my faithful readers.

Sid

Ranma looked in horror at the drugs in her hand and could feel her traitorous body begging her to do them. She so wanted to, Bobby had even left her with the top cut off a water bottle, a lighter and a piece of foil so that she could smoke them. She almost burst into tears in her frustration. With trembling hands she opened the baggy to sniff the elixir that awaited her there. It was an old and comfortable smell that teased her nostrils like how her mother's apple pie used to do. She heard the sirens song beckoning her and...closed the baggie with a force that almost tore off the fragile top. She thought of Mousse, he was so good and patient with her. He'd grown up and become a gentle and thoughtful man. He didn't deserve to be mixed up with her in the dark place her life had become. He didn't do drugs and probably wouldn't have even found out half the stuff he knew about it expect for her. She could slip back into the life and leave him alone to lead his own blameless life of keeping alive the legacy that his former fiancée had left him. He was like a ray of sunshine that shone into the all the corners of her bleak one and made her feel safe and..." she frowned at that, even in her own thoughts she couldn't complete that thought. He was so kind and had taken her into his own and showered her with both kindness and respect. He had made her believe that she was capable of anything and had even given her back her martial arts and had encouraged her of following her dream of teaching. She pictured the dojo full of bright young students eager to learn wearing gi that she had designed of a black top with black trim and black pants. Ranma loved children and glanced at the baggie and her eyes filled with tears. Her own child and heir to her school should have been with them, she wouldn't have cared who their father had been. But what she held in her hand had taken that from her...along with everything else.

Suddenly she knew what she had to do and tossed the drug paraphernalia into the nearest dumpster and thrust the drugs themselves into her pocket. She knew what she had to do and wondered if Mousse would help her further as she'd imposed on his for months...or kick her to the curb. She practically ran through the street in her impatience to get back to her home. She reveled in having a healthy body again when in her exertions she didn't even breathe heavily. She stopped to look at the dojo with its new sign that read "The Saotome School of Everything Goes" next to the door at her insistence a smaller sign read "Patrons of The Saotome School of Everything Goes receive 20% off their bill at Fast Frankie's Diner with proof of registration. Children under 12 eat free." Seeing her dojo up and ready for business just strengthen her practically tore open the door and impatiently ripped off her boots to put on her slippers. She found Mousse in the kitchen preparing their lunch.

"Hi Ranma, you're back early. I was just making lunch, it'll be ready in a few minutes" he said with a welcoming smile. This died when she pulled a baggie out of her pocket and let if fall onto the counter with a small thud. She looked at him with an expression of remorse, as if waiting for him to judge her. Mousse had never seen heroin up close but it wasn't too hard to figure out what it was. He picked it up and examined the dark substance; he glanced at her and strode into the washroom. She followed him and clung to the door frame when he poured it into the toilet and flushed it. She said not a word as he rinsed out the baggie itself so that not a trace remained and dropped the baggie into the wastebasket. She could tell he was angry but restraining himself when he finally turned to her. "Did you buy it?" he asked her in a calm voice.

"No, do you know what a Strawberry is?" she asked him.

He frowned at oddness of her question "a small red fruit?" he ventured.

"It's where a drug dealer keeps a girl for sexual pleasure, in exchange for sex he keeps her high. Those drugs came from a local dealer who wants me to become his. I was so tempted but I couldn't do it" she said in a shaky voice. She was positive that Mousse would order her to leave and her heart hammered in her chest at the thought. She blushed instead when suddenly she was drawn into a comforting embrace. With her hands trembling she wrapped her own arms around Mousse's rock solid body and felt safe. He held her wordlessly for a few minutes and then stepped back to lay his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm proud of you" he said.

"R-really?" she stammered.

"Of course, you could have taken the drugs but instead you brought them to me. I'm honoured that you trust me. I knew that you could beat this thing" he said with pride in his voice that caused her to blush.

"But I was tempted to, I almost did" she said in a faint voice.

"But you didn't, you were both too smart and brave to take it. Ranma you won't return to taking drug. You beat this" Mousse said.

"But there are so much temptation out there; they even sell drugs in schools" she said.

"Yes but I have confidence in you. Now you look chilled to the bone. Why not go take a hot shower and then we'll eat?" he suggested.

Ranma found herself giving him another tight hug, happy that he didn't think less of her and with a grateful smile took his advice. Mousse returned it and then frowned, he didn't like the idea that someone was sniffing around Ranma like a bitch in heat. He was surprised when his emotional response to this felt like it used to with Shampoo...jealously. He didn't have connections in the underworld of violence and depravity, so he called someone who had flirted with it.

Nadir took his call and listened to Mousse's story. "So that piss ant Bobby is still around? I thought that someone would've bumped him off years ago if the drugs didn't kill him. I know people who see to it that he leaves Ranma alone, but won't have him killed" he replied.

"I could never have someone's death on my conscious. As long as he leaves her alone, I'm fine" Mousse replied.

"Very well, I know a couple of guys who like to do favours for me" Nadir said.

"How much?" Mousse asked.

"The fee is..." Nadir explained.

Bobby gasped and then made an oophing sound when a fist the size of a sledge hammer pounded into his gut again. He head slumped forward and he slid down the wall behind him holding his bruised stomach. The man before him was dressed in a combination of denim and leather like a biker. He was built like a tank and was one of the tallest Asian men he'd ever seen in person. He had a goatee that framed his board face and long hair with the coldest eyes that Bobby had ever seen. They'd come upon his trying to make his sales and had hustled them into a jeep where the giant and his equally muscular friend had roughed him up. They'd driven him to a river and made him watch while they dumped all the drugs from their baggies that Bobby had had on him into the river. He had started sobbing. They took him back to his alley and then roughed him up some more. Just before they left Giant had had his friend pulled down Bobby's pants and Bobby had wet his boxers when a knife was placed against him penis. He could feel the razor sharp edge biting into his tender flesh.

"Bobby consider this a warning. You're out of business for now. You have until nightfall to get out of this town. Don't try to fool us, you'll be watched. You know a girl named Ranma?" he asked him.

Bobby nodded in a frightened daze.

He gasped when the knife was nudged a bit further into his flesh. "I asked you; do you know Ranma?" Giant bellowed at him.

"Y-yes" Bobby stammered.

"I want you to stay away from her or I'll cut your pecker off the next time I see you. She doesn't need your crap; she'd done with it and done with you. Is that clear?" he demanded.

"I swear I'll leave her alone" Bobby gasped. He was shocked when the knife was withdrawn and Giant gave him a somewhat friendly smile. "Good, now get out of here and don't you dare go back on your word. We'll be watching you" he snarled and Bobby fled with his life.

The large man turned to his partner...and they shared a deep kiss. For Giant's name was Renji Yakimoto and he was a bouncer at a popular night club and his partner's name was Kiro Fujimaki and he was gym teacher. They were gay and had met while in rehab for addiction problems. They'd heard whispers about a young man would guide people if they wanted to quit cold turkey and had sought him out. Nadir had helped them both and the Pristine Society was born. It was their joke, that if you quit without crutches, that you were not only clean, but Pristine.

"I love it when you act all bad ass, it turns me on" Kiro said to his partner.

"Everything turns you are" Renji agreed with a grin. "Let's go home and change, I feel like a thug"

"Will you keep the leather pants on?" Kiro asked.

Renji just grinned and pulled out his cell phone "Hello Nadir, it's taken care of. We roughed him up a little and he's going to head for the hills. You can tell your friend that he won't be bothering her anymore" he assured him. "So when do we get to meet the new Pristine?" he asked.

"When she's had a little more time, you two can be rather overwhelming" Nadir said with a smile.

"How about next week, we can have a barbeque and you can bring Reiko and them along?" Renji suggested.

"The only problem with that is that Mousse doesn't eat red meat" Nadir said.

"We're grilling spiced tofu burgers or chicken burgers if I'm lucky" Renji answered glaring at his partner. "Someone also has developed a phobia about red meat" he said poignantly.

"It's the devil itself" Kiro piped up with a shudder.

"Mousse won't eat commercially ground meat either" Nadir explained.

Kiro took the phone and said "you can tell him that I grind my own out of organic chicken breasts"

"I think they'd be delighted to come then" Nadir said.

"I think I'm going to like this Mousse" Kiro said happily, earning a death glare from Renji.

**Ranma and Mousse**

Ranma had been nervous when Mousse had carefully suggested that she take the STD test, but had gone to the office and had gotten it done. Now she nervously waited in the waiting room waiting to receive the results. Her heart lurched when they called her name and she was given an envelope containing the results. Her hands shook too much to open it, so she thrust it at Mousse "you open it, I'm too nervous" she admitted.

Mousse did with hands that were trembling as badly as hers; he knew that what was typed on the innocuous piece of white paper could change her life forever. They both held their breaths and Mousse's eyes went wide to focus on the font and when he let out a whoop. "Negative for everything, you're just fine" he cried leaping to his feet and Ranma did the same. Without thinking he swooped her up in his arms and swung her around which sent her pigtail flying. She just threw her head back and laughed like a loon. When he stopped her realized that her luscious lips were inches from his and they traded a meaningful look that surpassed lust. They both started apart when some cleared their throat and turned to see an amused look nurse. Both turning neon red they hastily bowed to her "we're terribly sorry" Mousse said staring bashfully around the room of onlookers.

"It's okay, we of the staff are happy when a nice couple gets good news. But we prefer you don't celebrate it here" she gently admonished.

Mousse and Ranma turned and even deeper red at being referred to as a couple. "I guess I'll go start the car" Mousse said and left.

"Congratulations on your results, here take some of these" she said and handed Ranma a couple of condoms; this caused her mouth to drop open. Then the nurse remembered the lusty look the attractive young man had given her and pulled out a couple of boxes. "In case you need more" she said with a wink. Ranma thanked her hastily and practically ran from the clinic in her embarrassment.

**Flash Frankie's Diner**

Ranma was rush off her feet on a typical Friday night at Frankie's but didn't mind in the least, she was feeling good felt on top of the world. She liked waitressing here more then anywhere else she ever had. The diner had strict rules about their waitressed dress and conduct. The uniform had a button up policy where all buttons had to be done up and the uniform which was figure skimming with a small crinoline under the skirt ended just above their knees. Mousse hired women based on personality and not looks so the waitresses came in all shapes and sizes. There was a no flirting rule in effect, Mousse had explained it was a family restaurant and people came to relax and have fun. Flirting was for your spouse or boyfriend. It was quit a stretch from tight clothes she'd had to wear in the past where Cologne had explained to her that there was only a one letter difference between tits and tips.

Ranma hadn't been too crazy about wearing the uniform until Reiko had explained that it was just role playing Zelda. She'd allowed Reiko to trim her bangs like Bette Page and wore her hair loose in natural waves. She'd borrowed Reiko's clear glass black framed cat eye glasses, had tied a sheer black scarf around her neck and had tucked a piece of black lace into her uniform pocket. They result was fun and kind of mysterious at the same time. Most girls wore ballerina flats or low heeled pumps, but Ranma wore the bobby socks and saddles shoed that Mousse had found her. She had received many compliments on the outfit.

Frankie's had tons of regulars who had taken well to the friendly girl and she had become one of the most popular waitresses in the diner. She was always there to help the elderly patrons who'd been coming to the diner since it had opened and tease them about their diet choices. She seemed to always remember everyone's favourites and never forgot a name. For Ranma she felt like her new life was beginning. She even liked the crazy jukebox that was set to play random tunes three times a night, signaling that the dancers were going to appear. The dancers of the evening were chosen ahead of time but not the tunes. For Ranma it felt like she was working on the set of Grease.

She called out her next order to the cook, "Super Deluxe Burger hold the brine, put the pork on the side and cheese the fries" meaning no pickles, bacon on the side with cheesy fries. She was kind of nervous; she was going to be the first dancer on tonight to be partnered with Mousse. She wasn't concerned about her dancing skills; she'd picked those up right away when Mousse had broken it down to a set of martial arts moves for her. Now they moved like they'd always been partnered together. Mousse had natural rhythm and moved easily in any style. With his long hair flying he attracted a lot of attention and always gave a great performance. Ranma wore the tap pants that all the dancers had to wear that matched her uniform. Mousse wouldn't allow panty flashing dance moves and if someone manage to see the girls panties by mistake, they were thwarted by the almost boxer short like underwear. Her heart leapt when the strains to Jump Jive n' Wail began and she walked to the dance floor in a trance. Mousse would allow some new music if it was in theme, he even had some Mojo Nixon the jukebox. Mousse joined her and without preamble seized her hand and starting spinning her and then without warning flipped her, their feet seemed to fly while their arms woven into various combinations as they moved in time to the beat. Ranma was a light as a feather as Mousse dipped her and supported her slight weight. She genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself and the music came to an end way too early for him. People clapped while he bowed and she curtseyed. "That was fun" she admitted.

"You guys were great" Reiko said hugging both of them.

"Let me guess you're Lindy Hop tonight?" Mousse guessed.

Reiko looked hurt "Mousse you'll never learn" she said and stalked off.

Ranma laughed at his confused expression "She's Earth Angel tonight. Earth is when she wears her long wavy platinum blond wig and the broach in the shape of wings on her lapel" she explained.

"I swear I have to get that girl name tags for every character" he said with a groan. "You want to get out of here?" he asked her.

She looked at him in surprise; Mousse was at the diner every night and never left early.

"I'd have to ask my boss" she said.

"Yeah I heard he's a real hard ass. What do you say?" he asked.

"Who's going to handle the closing," she asked "and work my section?"

"That's what managers are for, I'll go find someone to cover for you and tell Rafu to close for me" he said.

"Okay I am getting kind of hungry" Ranma said.

"We can stay while you eat" Mousse said.

"Nah I want the real food like we eat at home" she said squeezing his arm. She didn't bother changing out of her uniform; she just put her clothes in a bag and grabbed her coat. Sitting in the huge car and wearing period clothes it almost felt like she was in a different time all together while they drove in silence through the street. Ranma felt like a line had been crossed and was fine with it, while all Mousse could think about was the alluring young woman in the car beside him. It was like there was a spark that ignited their skin when he took her hand to help her out of the car.

When she slipped off her coat she stood in her uniform Mousse couldn't deny that she was one hundred percent woman. Nervously he reached into the fridge for the chicken he'd been marinating and pulled out the pre-cut vegetables. "Chicken stir fry on brown rice okay?" he asked her and couldn't stop watching when she took off her hat and smoothed her hair.

"That'll be fine" she said.

"Good" he said and pulled out his wok.

"Mousse?" she asked.

"Yes?" he answered.

"What's it like making love?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Well, it's...um, you've had sex before" Mousse stammered with his face flaming.

"Yes but people tell me that making love is different. I've never had sex with someone who cared about me" she said clearly embarrassed. "What was it like with Suzie?"

Mousse had only had sex with one woman and their first time had been slightly awkward but amazing "amazing" he said. "There's nothing like making love, the shared emotions are incredible"

"I guess I'll never know. Who would have me" Ranma said with her eyes downcast. Mousse quickly turned off the heat and crossed the room. Taking Ranma in his arms he captured her lips with his own and fed her everything that he felt in his heart. Ranma gasped and looked up at him with smoldering eyes. Then she kissed him back hard. He lifted her and carried her to the nearest bedroom, his own. She clawed his shirt open and pushed the t-shirt underneath up, he helped her take them off. Her trembling finger tips explored the dips and grooves of his muscular chest while his own fingers undid the buttons on her uniform front. He almost gasped is surprise when he discovered the red bra that Reiko had finally convinced her to wear. Piece by piece their clothes were discarded over the side of the bed until Ranma wore just the pair of red panties that matched her bra and Mousse still retained his pants.

Neither spoke as if afraid to break the spell of their lust. For Ranma it was a weird experience because she had never desired a person as she did now nor given herself to a man willingly, but she wanted Mousse as she never had anyone else. His tall powerful frame caused her mouth to go dry as gentle fingers removed her final barrier. He looked at her with worried eyes as he did nothing more then stroke her belly. Impatiently she reached out to undo his pants so that he might fill her throbbing sheath. He caught her hands, "you're not ready yet. Let me prepare you" he said and captured her lips with his own. She moaned when his mouth caressed the slender column of her alabaster throat and shell of her ear, she never knew that that part of her could feel so erotic. She moaned louder when he suckled and teased with his hands the soft pink peaks of her nipples. She she'd never experience these sensations before, men normally pawed and mauled at her then shoved themselves inside her when they were ready. Yet with Mousse she felt safe and relaxed and allowed him to continue his pleasurable journey. Mousse knew that Ranma wasn't a virgin but felt that she was an emotional one. He was sure that no one had ever pleasured her as a woman and wanted her to experience it.

Ranma got a little nervous when his kisses continued down her flat belly in the direction of her sweet sex, she'd never had anyone kiss her there before and had only done it herself when ordered to. She gasped when his tongue touched the bud of her pleasure and titillated it lovingly. He leisurely explored her honey soaked quim and slipped skillful fingers into her channel itself to tease her other love button and pulled the soft pearl of her pleasure between his lips to worship it. Ranma gasped when she felt a tightening in her belly and she bucked onto his finger and rode his tongue until she came hard with a wail. Mousse immediately lapped up every sweet drop of her spending and reached up to hold her to him. She rode the waves of desire and then to both their shocks burst into tears. She'd never cried once during her incarceration or when they turned her and Su Lee into whores, she'd never allowed herself to. She never cried when a prejudicial society turned her back into a whore when refusing to hire her for a job. She never cried when she lost the baby she now regretted. She cried now because she was safe and in love. Mousse held her and murmured in her ear; Suzie had had the same reaction when they'd first made love. She'd told Mousse that she'd always known she would know her love when she saw him and she had known the second she saw him in a bar. Ranma hadn't been so lucky; she'd suffered the worst fate that could happen to a woman. Mousse went to pull away. He'd done as he promised himself and had shown her that being made love to as a woman was a wonderful experience. He didn't think she wanted to take the final step with him.

Ranma didn't understand when Mousse drew the blankets over her and leaned back, she pushed them away to reveal himself to her again. "Please I want you inside me" she almost pleaded.

Mousse's eyes filled with surprise but he undid his pants "are you sure?" he asked her.

"I want you to make love to me" she said, he wordlessly removed his pants and underwear together. Ranma felt nervous when she saw the size of his member, perhaps she reasoned, he was the one who should have been named stallion. He was certainly hung like one. He moved forward and kissed her, she could taste herself on his lips and found that kind of erotic, she opened her mouth at the same time he place himself at her cleft. He was gentle as he nudged himself into her well lubricated sheath until she was filled up completely. She moaned when he drew back and rocked into inside her until they found a rhythm that sent their pleasure spiraling out of control. Ranma peaked first shouting his name; he rolled them so that she was bobbing on his shaft. He held her hips and encouraged her to heights of pleasure until she peaked again. When her third one hit he joined her in the flood and he whimpered out her name like a prayer. Short of breath she flung herself forward into his arms and he cradled her. She raised her head and he was glad when she didn't look remorseful, in fact she wore a cocky grin.

"I think we need a bath" she said and he agreed. Their mutual bath ended up with her perched on the side of the furo while he made love to her again. After drying off they ended up making love a third time until Mousse declared no more, she was killing him. She fell asleep in the warmth of his embrace and felt only happiness. She examined his smooth back and was glad that she'd done nothing to mark his skin. Normally when she'd orgasmed with clients it was involuntary and she would claw into their backs or chests to punish them for inflicted that on her. Yet with Mousse she didn't wish to do more then stroke his smooth skin or held it against her own because he was dear to her. The most wonderful being she'd ever known.


	7. Chapter 7

Mousse yawned and carefully untangled himself from Ranma's arms and stood up. He looked at her in the early morning sun. Her hair was a flaming tangle of curls because it had still been wet when they stumbled to the bed to make love again.

In the light of a new day she looked so innocent against the white sheets that allowed the curve of one breast and her creamy shoulders to peek through where she cradled them against her. Mousse had ceased to think of her as simply being friend a long time ago and had come do admire the strength and determination of her spirit. She was just as stubborn and refused to quit, just like when he'd first met her but there was a certain sweetness in her that had surprised him at first. Like how she was so gentle and patient with his younger patrons. Also how she brought food to the homeless that would come to their back door and would always smile and share a joke with them. There was more good in her soul then he ever expected and he loved her.

Mousse walked around the house that was his home now and looked at the subtle changes that Ranma had brought about. They were not much, a toothbrush beside his, her practical winter boots beside the black cotton Chinese shoes she preferred to wear, just the little touches that make a house a home. When Suzie had lived with him it had seemed like a home and then when she was gone and he was alone. It had become a place for him to sleep and eat at, nothing more then a hotel where he toiled in the garden to while away his spare time. Ranma had turned it back into a home with her busy ways and need for excitement. This was her home now and she had a vocation and friends...and Mousse wasn't sure that he even had a place in her life anymore.

Mousse had grown up with strong women, so Ranma seemed like the perfect Amazon to him, a powerful warrior who would defend those she cared about to death. He could now see why Cologne was so determined to win the male Ranma for their tribe. Oddly enough it was her female form that would have made her more desirable as a warrior. Ranma was practically a force of nature and like nature, could not be contained, she was meant to be free. With a heavy heart Mousse made the phone call he'd been debating for while.

Ranma woke and reached for the warm body that had cradled her so tenderly while they'd slept. She smiled and blushed a little to remember that she had given herself willingly to someone for the first time in her life. Making loving with Mousse had been a little weird, slightly terrifying at how passionate he'd been and absolutely wonderful. She'd felt so cherished and safe, she pulled the sheets up to stifle a giggle at how she must have sounded when she'd got demanding about what she'd wanted him to do...and he'd done it. Apparently she was a bit of a tyrant in bed. Then she realized that despite that she had two boxes of condoms sitting in her nightstand, that they hadn't used any protection. She tried to find the fear of getting pregnant again but failed to. Now that she had her own dojo, she would need an heir and who better to be the father of her child then a powerful martial artist?

She wondered where Mousse was until he came in with a tray of food and some tea. He was blushing a bit too but his face was wreathed in smiles. "I thought you might be hungry" he said and gave her a peck on the lips. She smiled a bit shyly in return, poured him some tea and popped a strawberry into his mouth and then into her own.

"For your dragon breath" she teased.

"Are you saying my breath stinks?" he demanded. "I just brushed my teeth"

"You didn't do it well enough" she said and then laughed when he pounced on her and tickled her after moving the tray out of the way. He hovered over them, his hair draped them like a tent and Ranma could feel her desire rising all over again. She wondered if she was some sort of nympho.

Mousse felt himself responding to her firm, curvy body and shook himself out of his own sexual trance. "Sorry there's somewhere we have to go" he said, "come on, get dressed."

She was surprised when he drove them to a building with a sign that read "Mr. Ito Barrister & Solicitor."

"What are we doing here?" she asked when Mousse helped her out of the car.

"Something I should have done a while ago" he said and held the door open for her. She found herself shivering at the ominous tone of that. They were immediately shown into the office by a smiling receptionist who was sent for tea.

Mr. Ito was a portly middle aged Japanese man who peered at them through black rimmed half glasses as he opened a file. "Mr. Mu, I'm assuming this is Miss Saotome?" he asked smiling in a friendly, if not pompous fashion. Mousse nodded, knowing Ranma didn't much care to be called Miss. "Might I call you Ranma?" he inquired.

"I insist" Ranma said through gritted teeth.

"I had a most unusual request from my client, that I tried to talk him out of, I will admit. Mr. Mu has a financial advisor looking after his interests, who suggested that he keep me on retainer in case of any legal problems arising from his winnings. I'm not suggesting that you did anything shady, but the amount of money that Mr. Mu won tends to draw less then scrupulous people to him. He's been lucky so far in his personal relationships and that brings us to you. Mr. Mu asked that I split his winnings and move half to a separate bank account in your name, you also are being offered the use of his personal residence and dojo for as long as you wish, rent free. He can't deed them to you free and clear as he made a deal with his former fiancée's family that they would have the option of buying him out before he put them up for sale" Mr. Ito explained.

Ranma saw red, "you're paying me for sex? What am I just whore to you?" she screamed. This was at the same time that the receptionist was coming in the door, she turned red, quickly set down the tray and left.

"Ranma it isn't like that..." Mousse protested.

"Well at least I'm not a cheap fuck to you" she raged.

"Mr. Ito, could you give us a minute?" Mousse asked.

"Of course, I'm sure you and your friend need to talk" he said and left.

Mousse turned to look at her and said "no, the money isn't for services rendered, it's just for you" he replied.

"But why?" she asked.

"You said you've never been free to make your own decisions. You said your father's been trying to control everything about you your whole life, including who you're going to marry. You said your fiancées try and do the same, along with your mother. I want you to be free to make your own decisions. I refuse to tell you what to do just because I have money and you don't. This way you would be a free as a bird, all you have to do is sign a few papers and you're set for life. Don't worry about me, I'll find another place to live. My needs are few and I still have lots of money of my own" Mousse said, taking her hands and squeezing them in a reassuring manner.

Ranma could feel her eyes prick with tears at how generous he was being to her. "I could never accept this, you've worked so hard to get where you are, and you changed so much. Just tell me why?" she cried.

Mousse blushed and said "it's because I love you. You're a butterfly who needs to soar and not remain pinned down. There's a whole world out there for you, full of friendships and the love you deserve" Ranma could only stare at him speechless, shocked into silence that he loved her too, until Mousse got nervous. "I promise I won't stalk you or anything, I'm not like how I was before with Shampoo. You can move whoever you decide to be with into this very house, whether they're a girl or guy. I don't expect you to become mine just because of a one night stand. Ranma say something" he almost pleaded at her bewildered expression.

She answered him by drawing him into a searing hot kiss that seemed to melt his bones; he was breathless when she drew back. Mr. Ito opened the door during their kiss to see if they were done...and hastily closed it. She smiled at the dazed expression on his face and said "wai oi ni"

"You mean that you love me too?" he said in shock.

Feeling more content then she had in her life, she picked up the file and toyed with the bank card...and snapped it in half to Mousse's surprise. Humming tuneless, she picked up the housing proposal. "I do like the idea of having a dojo at my disposal and I do love the house...but" she began in a playful voice.

"But what?" Mousse asked, waiting with bated breath for her answer.

"The house isn't a home without you" she replied, placing a hand on his baby soft cheek.

"Are you done?" Mr. Ito said, entering his office carefully.

"Yes, Mr. Ito. What is the quickest way we can get married?" Ranma asked.

Mr. Ito's eyes went wide with shock...and so did Mousse's.

"But, don't you think you should ask _me _if I want get married?" Mousse stammered.

"Sorry don't you?" Ranma asked. "I know it's sudden but I feel its right. Didn't you feel the same thing with Suzie?" she asked him.

Mousse thought about it and said "yes, I want us to get married."

"You have to go to the government office and bring your id, fill out the paperwork and pay a fee to obtain your Kon-in Todoke Juri Shomeisho. You're both over the age of twenty, so parental authorization isn't required. You'll need two witnesses over the age of twenty, but they're never hard to find at government offices" he explained.

Mousse shared a look with Ranma, he'd gotten her a set of id in her current form from a friendly hacker he knew for when he'd wanted to hire for the diner. It'd worked and she was registered in the system; there was nothing to prevent their marriage, not even crazy her crazy family or fiancées.

She smiled and pulled out her id, "shall we get going then?" she asked him sweetly. "I want to be hitched before the Nerima jerks show up...you know they will" she said in a threatening voice.

Mousse just laughed. "I do" he answered her simply.

"So do I" she replied.

"But what happens if you regain your male body, won't you prefer to be with a woman then?" Mousse asked her.

Ranma said dismissively, "who cares?" and meant it. She liked her woman's body now and knew that Mousse did to. She blushed and made a confession that she'd never told a living soul, "I've never been attracted to girls, I kind of liked Akane because she was so masculine that I didn't mind her so much. In fact I thought Ryoga was cute"

"You're gay?" Mousse said in surprise, his head reeling from the idea that the guy all the girls wanted to marry _didn't like them_.

"I guess so. In this form we work, we can be together. You don't mind do you? I promise that I won't make you sleep with my male form if you never make me sleep with your duck form" she purred.

Mousse laughed at that "let's get married, we'll deal with the male side of you if he ever shows up again"

"I frankly don't care if he ever does. I guess you're just a sucker for redheads" she teased him.

"I guess I am" he replied, drawing her in for another kiss... .only to be interrupted by Mr. Ito clearing his throat.

"Miss Hinata, cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. We're acting as witnesses to get these two married" Mr. Ito said, getting caught up in the moment.

"I'll get my purse" she said with a smile. They all piled into the huge car and drove to the government office. The groom wore blue jeans and a t-shirt with a picture of cookies on it that read "come to the dark side, we have cookies." The bride wore a blue mandarin shirt, winter boots and black pants. Yet they were the happiest couple there.

They walked out holding hands. "Now what?" she asked after they dropped the lawyer and his receptionist off.

"Wedding rings" Mousse said and drove them to a jewelry store. After some deliberation because Mousse wanted to buy her a diamond studded band, that Ranma felt looked too gay for words, they settled on plain matching platinum bands. They giggled like teenagers when they slipped them on each other's finger. They were drunk on love and high on life.

Ranma touched her band and then said," how does our marriage affect the Amazon kiss of death or marriage" she asked him.

"Our marriage isn't considered to be valid until we have an Amazon ceremony. Because you're stuck as a girl, Shampoo would have to kill you or you just get the kiss dissolved" Mousse explained.

"Dissolved?" Ranma asked.

"Sure it's a simple matter of going before the council and offer retribution for the offense. That system is set up for outsiders who are ignorant of our laws, this gives them an out. We aren't barbarians by any means or blood thirsty fiends who want to kill over a simple misunderstanding. Didn't Cologne or Shampoo tell you this?" he asked.

"No, they said that I was married to Shampoo and had to go to China" Ranma said, getting irritated. "Those lying bitches" she snapped.

"Feel like honeymooning in China?" Mousse asked, indicating that they were passing a travel agency.

"Yes and after that let's find some five star spa resort where we won't have to lift a finger. Just think: massages, hot springs, sandy beaches to lie on, fruity drinks with umbrellas in them, buffets and making love every night" she purred.

"We're going to have to get lots of birth control" Mousse said with a frown.

"Heck no, we're going to need an heir for my school, why wait?" she said with a giggle and dragged him into the agency.

Everyone at the diner was pleased for them and they had a root beer float toast...except for Reiko that is.

"You got married and didn't let me plan a thing! No dress, no venue. You people are trying to drive me insane" she raged at them.

Mousse and Ranma exchanged looks "we could have a real ceremony after we get back from honeymoon" she offered.

"Yes something small perhaps" Mousse said.

"I'll plan it down to Ranma's dress" she said getting excited. "You have to promise me you'll let me dress you" she said with so much determination in her voice that Ranma agreed.

The China part of the honeymoon spent with the Amazons was a blur as one marriage was dissolved and the other cemented by the proper ceremony. Ranma was readily accepted by her sister Amazons, even if they were somewhat surprised by her choice to marry a male instead of marrying Shampoo, but any way that they could bring fresh blood was good for the tribe.

Ranma enjoyed meeting her in-laws, though Mousse wanted to sink into the ground when his mother and his sisters entertained Ranma by reading her the letters he'd sent home from Nerima which decried "that foul Ranma" in every one of them.

They visited Jusenkyo and stood before the resurrected spring of the drowned man.

"Do you want to do it?" Mousse asked her.

Ranma snorted and rolled her eyes "how would we have an heir if we're both men? Unless you want to jump in there while I take a dip in this one?" she said sweetly indicating the spring of the drowned young girl. Mousse glanced at it and dived into the spring of the drowned man...and remained a man. They held their breath as the guide poured some cold water over him after he was dried off...and he still was a man. This led to them celebrating back in their tent in a manner I simply won't describe :P

They said their goodbyes...and then it was off to Hokkaido for two weeks to be spent at a luxury resort and spa where they'd be spoiled off their asses. Both Ranma and Mousse reveled in everything the hotel had to offer from their natural hot springs, to their unspoiled beach where Ranma taught Mousse to surf, to their day spas where they both got massages, various skin treatments and their first manis and pedis. Then there was the food, where Mousse marveled that his wife could eat as much as four truckers at a five hundred yen buffet.

Ranma and Mousse left the honeymoon suite for a day on the beach; Ranma knew that they weren't going to be there that long, for under her coverup she wore a black bikini that barely qualified as one. It had been purchased in secret with Reiko and both had decided it was _the one_ when it gave a boy waiting for his girlfriend a nosebleed.

She had her arms wrapped around his as they walked, she'd always thought that women looked stupid when walking this way with their heads on their loved one's shoulders, but now it felt good to her. She traded loving smiles with him while he got their caddy to set up their sight with: an umbrella, a thick beach cover, tons of suntan lotion and a huge brimmed hat for Ranma. They'd discovered early on that she freckled like a natural red head; she hadn't been amused to learn this.

Sitting down she removed her coverup and snickered when Mousse's jaw dropped at what was barely there. "I could really do with one of those drinks served in a coconut shell with an umbrella and all that fruit" she purred, rubbing suntan lotion seductively onto her perfect body.

"Coming right up" Mousse squeaked, only severe martial arts discipline kept his swim trunks from flying a flag pole. Ranma looked good enough to eat.

Ranma chuckled when he departed, admiring his tight glutes from behind. She promised herself that she was guaranteed a sensational night of lovemaking. 'Ranma the sex kitten. Who knew?' she mused and watched as he approached the sea side bar.

Deciding to stroll down to the water, she dipped her toes into it and remembered how she used to loath all cool water. She didn't give a rat's ass now.

She was startled when a familiar voice shouted in broken Japanese "Ranma, it really you" and she was captured in a tight hug. She gaped to find out it was an older Shampoo who was wearing a resort uniform. "Shampoo so happy, now we go back to China" she enthused.

"Honey what's going on?" Mousse asked, he'd returned with their drinks in just in time to see a purple haired stranger assaulting his wife. Purple haired? Then the identity of who she was snapped into place. "Shampoo?" he said in surprise, he hadn't thought about her in years.

She turned to see a handsome stranger watching her, he looked familiar and cute, but she couldn't quite place him. And then she knew "Mousse, what you do here?" she asked him.

Ranma wrenched herself from Shampoo's tight embrace and went and stood beside him and took his arm. "I believe you know my husband" she said simply.

"Husband? He no can be your airen. You _my _airen" she cried.

"Oh we got that taken care of when we were in China, I formally apologized to the council of elders about the misunderstanding and brought tons of food to replace what my father and I ate. They were very understanding, but told me that our marriage couldn't be dissolved as there was a chance I could turn male again. So I offered them an alternative, I said I wished to marry another Amazon and they agreed to allow me to marry Mousse. I didn't have to defeat him as I was an outsider. I pointed out that I seemed to be permanently locked; I couldn't very well marry you and preferred not to die. So they married us the same day. Didn't anyone call you to tell you that our marriage had been dissolved?" she asked Shampoo sweetly.

"And we have another ceremony to look forward when we get home" Mousse said, acting just as cool as Ranma.

"You know can't marry Mousse" Shampoo cried.

"Why not? We're already married according to the laws of Japan and China" Ranma said with a shrug.

"Where you even meet?" she demanded.

"Nerima" Mousse said without missing a beat.

"No where you find Ranma? Shampoo look all over place for you." Shampoo cried in frustration.

"We ran into each other at church" Mousse replied. That gave Shampoo pause, not only were they different religions, but neither was particularly religious.

"We give up restaurant and take any job we can find. I am waitress here and great-grandmother cook. You no can be married, you can't dissolve kiss without great-grandmother say so. She the leader" Shampoo yelled.

"She appointed _her_ great-grandmother to act in her stead while she was away in Japan. She approved our marriage, the council voted on it and it was passed, the decision's irreversible. If the old ghoul had wanted to have a say in the matter she should have stayed in China" Ranma remarked.

"This not over" Shampoo cried.

"Yes it is" Ranma observed.

"What's going on here!" the manager of the resort demanded, he'd been out for a walk when he'd heard the commotion. He quickly went to intervene when he realized that one of his waitresses was harassing a honeymoon couple.

"This young lady used to stalk my wife and claimed to be married to her" Mousse sternly said and Ranma covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"She was man then!" Shampoo protested.

"My wife has never had a sex change" Mousse snarled.

The manager's eyeballs practically popped out of his head to hear this "Miss Pu, I don't care about your gender preferences, you can't harass the guests" he chided.

"No she man, watch" Shampoo said and frantically grabbed a tea pot from a waitress going by and flung the contents on Ranma, Ranma just stood there being completely female…and very pissed off.

"Is this a new spa treatment?" she asked him sarcastically.

"Miss Pu, you're fired" he shouted.

"That won't be necessary" Ranma said smoothly. "Just make sure she doesn't come near me again. I'm sure she'll be going to China soon. She's perfectly welcome to rejoin her tribe whenever and has nothing to keep her here"

With tears in her eyes she watched Mousse and Ranma leave.

"You can keep your job, but I'll be watching you" her manager hissed.

"It no matter, I quit. I go back to China. You keep stupid job with lousy tips and groping hands" she hissed and dropped her apron on the ground.

She returned to her room and started packing, but found herself weeping instead. She couldn't believe that out of all the girls who were after Ranma, it was Mousse who'd won him. He was the first man that she'd ever loved and now he was taken by a person who wasn't even fit to tie him shoes. Yet why he hadn't changed back when she doused him with hot water?

Shampoo thought about the implications of that and then decided to make things a little more interesting for Ranma and Mousse. Going to reception, she managed to convince her friend to give her their home address by saying they were old friends of hers…and she wanted to surprise them by sending them a wedding present.

Returning to her room she placed a long distance call to a number she still knew by heart and asked for Genma Saotome. "Hello Mr. Saotome, I'm wondering if you know where Ranma is. No? Would you like to know?" she asked him.


End file.
